No. It is physically impossible to swallow your own tongue. The tongue is a muscle firmly attached to the floor of the mouth by a band of tissue called the lingual frenulum, and to the jaw and hyoid bone at its base. It cannot slide down the throat.
The myth is persistent, though, and it has led to dangerous first-aid habits.
Where the myth comes from
- Seizures. During a tonic-clonic seizure, people may make gurgling sounds or bite their tongue, which looked like “swallowing” to observers.
- Unconsciousness. When someone is unconscious and lying on their back, muscles relax and the base of the tongue can fall backward and block the airway. This is real and dangerous, but it is not swallowing, and the fix is positioning, not grabbing the tongue.
- Sports injuries. A player knocked out on the field is at risk of airway blockage for the same reason, which gave rise to the phrase “swallowed his tongue” in sports reporting.
Never put anything in someone’s mouth during a seizure
Old advice to force a spoon, wallet or fingers between the teeth causes broken teeth, jaw injuries, choking on objects and bitten fingers. The person cannot swallow their tongue, and a bitten tongue usually heals well.
What to do during a seizure
- Stay calm and time the seizure.
- Move hard or sharp objects away, and cushion the head.
- Loosen anything tight around the neck.
- Do not hold the person down.
- When jerking stops, turn them on their side (the recovery position) to keep the airway clear and let saliva drain.
- Stay with them until they are fully awake.
Call 911 if the seizure lasts longer than 5 minutes, another one follows, the person is injured, pregnant, has diabetes, is in water, has trouble breathing afterward, or it is their first seizure. The MedlinePlus page on seizures explains causes and when to get care.
Someone unconscious and breathing
Roll them onto their side, tilt the head back slightly so the tongue falls forward, and call 911. If they are not breathing normally, start CPR; a dispatcher can guide you. Learning CPR helps: see what a chest compression feedback device measures.
Tongue problems that are real
- Tongue-tie (a short frenulum) can affect breastfeeding or speech; a pediatrician or dentist can assess it.
- Swelling of the tongue or throat after a food, medicine or insect sting may be anaphylaxis: use an epinephrine auto-injector if prescribed and call 911.
