know your body: that dangling thing in your throat

although it is often blamed for snoring, the uvula also helps to prevent choking and plays a role in how we pronounce words.

by nick beare

may 17 2021

2 minute read

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the uvula: that thing hanging down the back of your throat

no, those aren't your tonsils. getty

the uvula — also known as that teardrop shaped thing dangling at the back of your throat — is an important part of the human anatomy that plays several key roles to make our lives easier.

do you like not choking on your food? thanks, uvula. what about making a cool sound by rolling your rs? again, the uvula.

have you ever swallowed some food and had it go up into your nasal cavity? no? then you should take some time to thank your uvula because that little flap of skin is helping to prevent that disturbing mental image from being a reality.

what is it exactly?
part of the soft palate (the tissue at the back of the roof of your mouth), the uvula is made of connective tissue, muscle and some saliva producing glands. the uvula is a pretty unique part of the human body since out of all mammals, only humans and a couple types of baboon have one, according to one study .

when we eat, the uvula gets pushed back , preventing food and liquid from going up our nose by funnelling everything down into the esophagus. it also produces its own saliva, helping to keep everything we eat slippery and moving along nicely. if large amounts of food try to pass through, the uvula is also what triggers our gag reflex so we don’t choke.

all that extra saliva produced by the uvula also aids in our speech . it helps us form more complex sounds (like the rolling of rs) and words, which helps explain why humans are some of the only mammals that have one.

because of the uvula’s location, it also plays a role in how we sleep . the uvula can dangle into the airway while we sleep, and the air passing through causes it to vibrate. yes, the uvula is partially at fault for snoring — there are other reasons why people snore — but the uvula can make it worse. if your uvula is unusually large or long, it can block more of your airway while you sleep.

can anything bad happen to my uvula?
like most parts of the body, the uvula can also cause some problems. aside from the snoring, the uvula can also become inflamed or swollen and infected. a swollen uvula is often a symptom of another problem like the flu, strep throat, or croup. it is also possible to get cancer of the soft palate, which would include the uvula. like almost all oral cancers of the mouth, gums or tongue, soft palate cancer is usually caused by tobacco and alcohol.

if you simply have a swollen uvula and sore throat, drink lots of fluids, keeping the air moist with a humidifier or sucking on a lozenge to keep your throat moist are the best treatments. if the swollen or infected uvula is from another, larger problem, consult your doctor on those issues individually.

can i live without one?
you can live without a uvula and it is often removed to treat snoring or symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea through a procedure called a uvulectomy. more commonly though, only part of the uvula is removed as part of uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (uppp). this is the main surgery used to shrink the palate and clear the blockage that is causing the obstructive sleep apnea.

nick beare is a writer with healthing.ca.

know your body: that dangling thing in your throat

although it is often blamed for snoring, the uvula also helps to prevent choking and plays a role in how we pronounce words.

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know your body: that dangling thing in your throat

although it is often blamed for snoring, the uvula also helps to prevent choking and plays a role in how we pronounce words.

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