My uvula trick
Drumroll please. You are about to witness my most popular anatomical party trick. In fact, years from now, it will likely be the only thing that my former students remember about me.
The image above shows my uvula (better known as "that thing dangling in the back of your mouth") in its relaxed, more-or-less normal configuration. Now, watch what happens when I tighten up my soft palate...
It's pointing straight forward like a little pistol. Impressive, eh? I've met only one other person who could do it. It appears to be a congenital anomaly, not a trait you can develop through practice.
Anatomically, the uvula is basically an extension of the soft palate. Using my lesser known uvula trick -- touching my uvula with the tip of my tongue -- I've confirmed that the uvula is indeed remarkably soft. Like the soft palate, it even has its own named muscle: the musculus uvulae, which shortens the uvula when it contracts.
Functionally, I doubt the uvula serves any important purpose, but I could be wrong. A popular anatomy text book says that the uvula "assists in closing the nasopharynx during swallowing." This makes me wonder if people without uvulas are more likely to have milk come out their nose when they laugh. It's a testable hypothesis, since there are, in fact, a number of people who have their uvulas removed surgically as a treatment for excessive snoring or sleep apnea (e.g. laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty). Anyone have some good anecdotal evidence?
posted by Brad @ 9:34 PM
34 comments
34 Comments:
I want to see a photo of you touching your uvula with your tongue :)
I'll see what I can do.
8-D
You seem a little deviated in that "relaxed" photo. Is that just an artifact of your uvula resting on your tongue? Or are we looking at a possible weakness of the nerve? Just wondering.
Stumbled across your site via The Underwear Drawer. Nice stuff.
Good eye! Yes, in its relaxed state, my uvula does indeed deviate slightly to the right. I don't think it's a neurological problem, just a little developmental asymmetry. Kind of like my left foot, which is a half size shorter than my right...
Hey, nice to see others out there who can do tricks with their uvulas. Question though did you mean you could only touch the tip of your tongue to the front of it?
Cara: Yes, with the tip of my tongue, I can touch the front and tip of my uvula, but not the back of it. Unfortunately I can't take a good picture of this trick because the tongue obscures the view.
I have always taught that the uvula triggers the gagging reflex- that is why the bitter taste is placed on the back of the tongue close to the uvula- then is something poisonous is ingested it has a good chance of not entering the body.
I have actually had a UP3 (Uvulopalatopharngoplasty) due to my sleep apnea. The procedure involves the removal of my uvula, my tonsils, my adenoids and a portion of my soft palate.
Here is what I can tell you about it:
1. I cannot even *fake* the snoring sound without those parts in my throat any longer.
2. It does not make me any more likely to have food or other liquids enter my nasal cavity.
3. It does, however, make normal nasal drainage into my esophagus cumbersome. As a result, I regularly have to clear plegm from the ridge at the top of what is left of my soft palate -- not very pleasant, especially for anyone around me!
No milk out of my nose, though. Also, jen, my gagging reflex is completely intact -- so no role in the gag reflex either.
Honestly, I do not miss my uvula, but it does make me somewhat of an oddity for anyone that looks in my mouth!
Hello...but did the surgery cure your sleep apnea? No more CPAP macine?
thanks!
I meant machine!
I happen to have an extremely long and flexible tongue and am capable of reaching around my uvula with it to touch the tonsils (or whatever) behind it.
So far, this apparently hasn't lead to any infections or anything. Who knows... they say tonsils filter out bacteria and stuff...maybe my tongue trick has actually made my tonsils more bacteria resistant and has improved my health!
No one I know is capable of doing this.
I Can Touch it With My Tongue And Make Mine Stick Out Like You Did With Yours ^_^ woot woot
Although I can't do what you do, I can touch the back of my uvula with the back of my tongue. I can also stick my tongue up behind my soft palate and touch my adenoids (although like a previous commenter I question the health of this).
Yeah, I can also touch my tongue to the back of my mouth I can get it behind my tonsils and up into the adenoids. Never knew whether or not other people could do it too, never really considered it till lately, and googled it, which is when this came up.
I can touch the tip of my tongue way far back too. I thought everyone could touch their tonsils until just the other day. I also was told I have an extremely large tongue, which doesn't help my speech impediment. I have a "forward thrust" which means that I swallow backwards...so food pushes out of my throat rather than in. Apparently I choked a lot when I was little haha I figured that this impediment which I only found out about in high school upon asking my mom why everyone asks me if I have a lisp when I can CLEARLY pronounce my s's. :] So yea..I googled it though upon friends; requests to see if I'm the only living person who can self tonsil hockey, and I have thus discovered I am not alone! What a marvelous feeling...
Sarah : what've can do is stick my tounge all the way up my throat and touch the insides of my nose also reach inall directions without gagging
i thought i was alone! i'm also teh only person i know who can touch their own tonsils, i can encircle them too, though the left is harder to reach than the right. and i can touch the nasal passages at teh top-back of my mouth. i may or may not be able to touch my uvula.
Wow this is so cool, I too can touch my tonsils, adenoids, and nasal passages with my tongue. We should start a web page!
I just recently was starting to do this to help with some sinus issues I had, then I was sticking my tongue higher and further up my sinus cavity until I scared myself 'cuz I could feel the inside of my nostrils and asked my friends if they could do it or if I was the only one. No one had ever tried it and I totally freaked them out. I googled this trick and was glad to find other people who had tried it. It kind of hurts!
wow, me too, i didn't know anyone could do this, i can get my tongue up the back of my nose and even my nostrils!!
Ok, all you people have entirely too much time on your hands! Ick!
The gag reflex has a lot more levels and complexity than a simple lump of flesh and includes a strong psychological element. Having worked with sword swallowers and experimented myself I can attest to how difficult it is to overcome.
-Aaron Zilch
www.swingshiftsideshow.com
I can touch mine with my tongue too, also can get it behind it on my own. If i push my tongue with my finger i can touch where like my nasal passage opening thing is.
I've been looking for people who can!
someone should totally make a webpage! i can touch everything back there too, but i've never met anyone else who could.
even i can touch those round circly things as well. i can even touch the inside of the nasal tub. if you think your tongue is wrong, take your tongue out and try to touch your nose.
#long not wrong. sorry
oh my goodness! thank you people! I thought i was some kind of freak! I finally told my best friend about being able to touch my nasil passage with my tongue and I was very curious if anyone else could.
Someone really should start a web page!
Has anyone ever felt around their nasal passage while sick? Does it feel weird?
I also do question the healthiness of this...But still I love you guys for talking about this!
yea, when I'm sick it tends to be slimier from mucus, and I can feel the swollenness from pressure build up. Gross..and probs unhealthy haha
LISTEN UP ~ I would like to really add some interesting tidbit to this. Did you know that in Yoga, the ancient masters stuff I am talking here, they do what is called Kechari Mudra ~ some even cut the "frenum" (the tendon under the tongue that keeps it tethered to the floor of your mouth) - so that they can reach their tongue behind the throat, up to the nasal cavities, and then beyond that to excite the nervous system.
See here about Kechari Mudra:
http://www.aypsite.org/108.html
and here, for diagrams showing each stage:
http://www.aypsite.org/kechari_image1.html
Wild huh.
My daughter has two uvulas, a trait she inherited from her father. Supposedly is very rare to have two.
I think more people are actually capable of this trick.It's just not all of us are so bored that were brought down to this level. If I can ever get back home to Hi. I'll have a life again and not have to stumble onto this wierd web sites. Roses
i have a bit of an oddity myself. i have been seeing an ent, an he plans on doin surgery for a deviated septum, and also to remove my tonsils. so he had a ct scan of my sinuses done... and they found, there is a tooth in my sinus cavity!!
I was born without a lingual frenulum, which allows me to stick my tongue up inside the nasal cavity and down the throat a little ways. Unfortunately, this limits my ability to gleek, which I have been trying to do for so long with no success. lol
my sister has no uvula and she cant speak well. may be uvula helps in speech and yes food comes out thru her nose that is if shaken or if she tries 2 talk...she eats and drinks in a pattern which i think prevents food from entering the nose
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