Loud Noises when I swallow that don't sound nornal

[Nobody456]

Hi, I am having real trouble with my partner's loud swallowing noises. It does not only happen VERY loudly when he is drinking (specially) but even with his own saliva and I sometimes get really frustrated. Basically we need to have the radio or TV on when we eat so I don't hear him. It is getting annoying and I was wondering if it is related to something else and if it can be remedied. PLEASE HELP!! :(

[rqtballatc]

My daughter 15 yo, also makes a presence at the table. She is a meticulous eater that arranges geometric neatness to her table settings, bedrooms accessaries, pens, pencils, etc. She completes her meals very slowly and is often reminded after most are finish to 'hurry it up.' She drinks small amounts at a time and a loud gulp sound emanate through the air across the table. She has great table manners, however it appears she concentrates on the whole process of the drinking function way too much.

Imagine a video in slow motion. Maintaining eye contact on the target at all times she steadily holds her cup/glass evenly without creating waves inside the cup. In a ready secured state, holding the cup she then slowly lifts and rotates her arm raising her cup to her head without any initial horizontal neck movement to meet the cup then ever so gently putting her lips to the cup rim. She then proceeds to vacuum small amounts of whatever she is drinking into her mouth as if she simultaneously measures, tastes, and analyzes the liquid she is ingesting. The cup is removed, and the swallowing process begins. Without any upper torso body or head movement, with a straigt erect back she begins to allow parts of the mouthful into her throat apparantly attempting to feel the liquid actually pass through her larnax while acuating the tongue to wave pass the throat section in turn raising the larnax (which makes the loud sound) dropping the liquid into her stomach. And that is per each small or large drink.  

Mom thinks this is normal. I think my daughter thinks about the drink too much. It also does not make good table manners. Help.

[NoOneSpecialNow]

I was hoping for some medical options to be offered here. I only saw one post that offered something and another post that insulted previous posters. Everyone else is just asking for help. I am not desperate for help. I just noticed a sibling and parent does this gulping while drinking. It is very annoying. the so called advice that states or implies to ignore it or be more tolerant is unreasonable. It's a terribly unpleasant sound and most people would be annoyed listening to it repeatedly. Luckily I no longer have to listen to it regularly but I did feel concerned that it was medical since it affects more than one person in my family. I googled it but all I found was a bunch of opinions ranging from "I'm going to lose my mind if they don't stop" to "They need to slow down" to "oh some people just make that sound, learn to adjust."

So back to square one. This was the most useful posts and I can't say it was all that useful. I do know that if my sibling does slow down the sound is either much quieter or I can't hear it at all. But we do have a family history of food getting trapped at the esophagus. So I suspect there could be a connection.

And I thought perhaps it was that they were swallowing air but they don't burp any more than anyone else. I have never been told I swallow hard or gulp but I burp more they they do. I know I swallow air. I have to pay attention not to eat or drink to eagerly.

I'm guessing there could be a number of reasons it happens and talking to a doctor may be the best way to find out. But that is just my humble opinion.

[sam752]

Doctors don't know! It's 4S Syndrome, cause unknown and no cure. Could be some hear really well, and are perhaps something like pyscholically tortured from sleep deprivation with those noises when young.  The best comparison is a hangover and how easily annoying sounds are, but without the drinking. An analogy might be putting your dirty feet (in socks) on the dinner table for all others to smell and observe. Some may say bad etiquette, but you counter they have a smelling sensitivity problem.

[sam752]

Doctors don't know! It's 4S Syndrome, cause unknown and no cure. Could be some hear really well, and are perhaps something like pyscholically tortured from sleep deprivation with those noises when young.  The best comparison is a hangover and how easily annoying sounds are, but without the drinking. An analogy might be putting your dirty feet (in socks) on the dinner table for all others to smell and observe. Some may say bad etiquette, but you counter they have a smelling sensitivity problem.

[DaveHossen]

My Dad used to do it. Far easier to tell you father than a partner - he was doing as the daughter of the person above said - incredibly deliberate, over-thought and amazingly loud GULP action. I am very sensitive to such things, quite manic and tend to be annoyed, so I can add to the conversation in one respect: only a few people do this, I know because I notice ALL of them, and from the perspective of someone who has had to deal with it, it's not elitism, it's not some kind of smug poshness - thinking the other rude - it is genuinely like torture to listen to. Obviously its stupid psychological effect and I wish I could stop being so annoyed by it, but I really can't and it's like you are being violated when you listen to it. A colleague who sits near a chap who makes the same noise and who also happens to gulp A LOT due to some kind of wierd prediliciton to drink 4 or 5 litres of water every day, my colleague is driven mad by it. Sometimes I'll hear a gulp come accross the office and it sends a shiver down my spine but then the colleague who cant cope with it appears and leaves - he actually has to leave the office its so aweful. At least I'm not alone.

I have various theories about why it is so annoying, none really on what causes it, appart from perhaps a lack of coordination or in the case of my father just a crazy over-thinking that he managed to get over (aged 55!) and stop doing it. It might be an overly tied-tongue that can cause snoring and things or perhaps an odly over/under sealing soft pallet. As for the annoyance-causing, apologies in advance to any dislikers of evolution, but I think it might be an evolved repulsion to members of a tribe/group which demonstrate illness / weakness. You know how everyone is almost driven to bully / drive our weak members of a peer group, how young people and stupid people succumb to that drive and become overt bullies? I think that as an adult that compulsion can be presented as a raging annoyance and when someone does something annoying it might be that we are discerning some weakness - certainly an uncoordinated swallow action must surely be considered a physiological weakness, or perhaps we are programmed to recognize it as a sure sign of someone uncoordinated, and hence we are repulsed by it. Just a (probably rubbish) theory, but that's how it feels - the repulsion and annoyance 'feels' programmed its such a strong drive.

Another example: my bosses son has had a cold seemingly his whole life, he is 6 and still cant breath through his nose, and so he eats amazingly loudly with an open mouth - said boss cannot actually eat at the table with is son, he tries almost every day to get over it and eat with him, but he just cannot do it so repulsive is the noise.

I wonder if that might cause uncoordinated gulping - perhaps if one is a sickly child and cannot learn the very complex action as a young child due to a blocked nose, one never quite gets the hang of it.

[Love_Is_Real]

You, my friend, are being quite unreasonable I believe. I swallow loudly and I have been trying to stop and it's not something that comes easily especially when there's people like you that post unhelpful comments on otherwise helpful threads. I detest your reference to the analogy of feet on the table. It isn't like that at all. Besides the fact that people shouldn't actually be drinking during a meal I don't believe that your 'analogy' was correct. I have been raised to be polite during meals. I don't put my elbows on the table and I certainly don't put my feet on there :P However people have commented on my loud drinking and my heavy breathing. It's not something I can just be like 'Oh hey, maybe I should stop' and I stop. If you had it then you would understand but you don't sooo :)

[ScottT500]

To Love is Real> You are conscientious and considerate. The analogy had a different intent. That is, most folks are not annoyed by eating noises, but a minority is. It's difficult for many to grasp why this is annoying, and often they dismiss as the fault of those who are being annoyed, as though it's their own hearing sensitivity problem.
Thus to find some kind of more general equivalence so others can understand more completely, smelly feet annoy just about everyone, except for the person with the smelly feet. (I don't know why.)
That being said, the person with the smelly feet puts his feet on the dinner table and is not bothered at all by the smell. Then when others complain, he says the others must have smell sensitivity problems, as though it's their problem, since he himself is not bothered by his own smelly feet. He can't grasp how his actions might affect others.
Obviously everybody sees the absurdity of this individual's viewpoint, since smelly feet are universally accepted as disgusting, whereas when it comes to eating noises, those who are truly annoyed are a minority.  And it is difficult for others to grasp this. The most often cited response I hear is that those who are annoyed should learn to live with their "hearing sensitivity issues."
I am sure you can think of other analogies besides smelly feet, it;s just that this example can be more readily understood by society at large as I see it.