Morning anxiety and Gag reflex

When I am extremely anxious in the morning time, it results in a lot of flem in the back of my throat. Maybe this is because the anxiety causes that nausea feeling and triggers the gag reflex.

Brushing my teeth is a real task and for the longest time this happened every morning...brushing teeth triggers it and then the gagging starts and if that is not gotten under control then the vomiting of bile begins.

Now the brushing teeth thing has connections to pregnancy for me as brushing teeth while preggo would induce the gagging and morning sickness nausea. Then after having kids this became something that happend while brushing teeth and i realized it is anxiety.

When I realized this was part of my anxiety ...I tried to find ways to alleviate...from the type of toothpaste I use....to drinking freezing cold water slowly.

My son recently has began to struggle with this same issue. Morning time brings lots of anxiety. This produces flem in the throat. This is the body's reaction to the anxiety and stress. Maybe because we have sinus issues and this is just a way it manifests for us.

Either way I do not know how to help him when he can't get out of that gagging phase and then starts to throw up....i feel awful. It hurts my heart and mind when I cant find a solution to this thing affecting my kid. I watch helplessley and run hi back and talk calml...but that doesnt srop the phusical reaction to thw anxiety his bkdy os going through.

Does anyone else experience things like this and what do you do to help yourself or alleviate that gag reflex.....or prevent it in the first place.

We try antihistamines to reduce flem and congestion. I can try pill form of decongestant medicine but i dont know if its a splution to take every night or morning. That i have to ask the doctor...next appointment. Just looking for some thoughts and ideas.

Any thoughts welcome!

Scribbles · 36-40, F

Oh no, that sounds terribly uncomfortable and alarming for him and you to go through every day.

I have a friend who has gone through a similar issue with her 8 year old son. The worst times for him are in the morning after waking up and the hour after lunch. They only thing they have been able to do is try to reduce anything that can trigger that gag reflex that sets off the vomiting. He has a humidifier in his room during the night. He drinks something warm in the morning right away, and he doesn't eat breakfast until later on the morning when he's at school. He brushes his teeth while watching videos on a tablet to help distract him. They try to reduce anything that causes anxiety, or work with him on problem solving and being supportive. He avoids some sticky textures in his foods that can set it off, and he tries not to eat too much or too fast as that sets it off sometimes, and he drinks lots of water through out the day. If he gets congested when he has a cold, they sometimes use a throat numbing spray to help.

I'm very sorry the two of you have to deal with this.