As wondrous and easy to take for granted as many of the automatic processes that keep our bodies going are, we can also find that they’ll sometimes get in our ways.
The easiest examples of this phenomenon that we can think of are evolutionary leftovers like the appendix or wisdom teeth, but even otherwise useful processes in our bodies can be annoying sometimes.
Because while it’s good that we have a gag reflex, the fact that it seems to trigger when we get dental work or receive a COVID-19 test hardly makes our lives and other people’s jobs easier.
Fortunately, there are a few ways we can keep that reflex from overreacting when we need to and a video making the rounds on TikTok is showing off a couple of them.
Over the past couple of weeks, some users on TikTok have been demonstrating some tips provided by another person who goes by Harry.
The first of these gag reflex suppression techniques is fairly well known and involves making a fist with your left thumb in the center and squeezing it as hard as you can for five seconds.
According to research published in the Journal of the American Dental Association , putting this kind of pressure on the palm has a way of pushing back the trigger point for the gag reflex so it’s harder for it to get in your way.
After that, Harry recommended putting your right index finger against your chin and holding it there for another five seconds.
As another study by the British Dental Journal explains , this is another pressure point that for whatever reason also seems to help control the gag reflex.
But while there’s some evidence that most of Harry’s tips work, one of the steps he suggests is a little less effective.
After squeezing your left thumb and touching your chin as expressed before, he suggests taking your right thumb and index finger and squeezing the webbed section between those digits on the opposite hand.
However, the British Dental Journal study skipped this step in favor of putting pressure on the wrist instead. That’s because this area has another pressure point that’s supposed to help prevent nausea.
RELATED STORIES
Nonetheless, the next time you’re feeling nauseous or noticing that your gag reflex is getting in your way, these simple methods should help.
And as Gemma here demonstrates after she takes Harry’s advice, at least a couple of his suggestions made it easier for her to stick a couple of fingers down her throat without making her gag.
Just remember that if his third step doesn’t help you, try the wrist instead.
