When I touch fuzzy things I get a swallow reflex and can't talk or breathe correctly

i get this too! ive had it every since I was little and I do not agree with the phobia or anxiety suggestions. this is a physical reaction I get when I touch velvet or velvet-like fuzzy items. I and an involuntary swallow-gag reflex thing and I feel like I can't breathe until I stop touching it. it's like I get overwhelmed by the sensory input from the fuzziness. my son has SPD (sensory processing disorder) and I think I must have a version of that too! it's the only explanation that makes sense.

I also get this way... I guess we may never know the reason. I have a feeling it could have to do with sensitivity some how. It happens to be a lot when I wake up the most. Within my hands and feet is a sensation that causes me to swallow when I touch anything soft. Personally does not matter how soft, usually it is fine when I walk on the hard flooring but not my rug.

It is not always happening, and sometimes it can happen if I just think about it a little bit.

It is hard to say but at least we are not alone in this!

Personally the reason why I explained it being linked to sensitivity is because I also have sensitivity to other things besides touch. For instance, I sometimes am sensitive to hearing. It can get really sensitive when I am in a very quiet atmosphere and then when someone talks their voice causes irritation to me for some reason. I also get sensitive with sight, even though I see well, often I begin to see double when I start getting tired and my vision will blur when I get up from sitting down quickly or something. Though I am sure all of these may not be instinctively related, but maybe we have an issue within our brains causes our senses to be more broad. Hard to say.

I have this exact same thing! I've never really been able to explain it but my mom has told me my dad did it too. Now I've realized my oldest daughter does it as well. I've never known of anyone else who this happens to and i remember being so confused when i realized not everyone has this reaction

hi robert, i know its an old post, iv been looking everywhere to try and find someone else talking about the same thing. i know exactly what you mean.. i

I believe I have a very similar situation. Whenever I touch fabrics like cotton, wool, nylon, fleece, etc. It triggers my gag reflex and my mouth/throat instantly feels dry. Specifically micro-fiber towels, I've found that those tend to trigger it most often. However, it really only happens when my hands are very dry. It's also pretty on and off. I can go months without having it, then all of a sudden its multiple times a week, or even daily. I've seen numerous people in this thread say its just anxiety or a phobia. Its not. For me, it feels more like an allergic reaction. I'm not scared of it. I'm not anxious about it. The sensation of the fabric itself makes me gag. I've found various people online who have similar reactions, but also different possibilities as to what causes it. I've seen it be called "Tactile Defensiveness" or "Tactile sensitivity". I've seen people say it could be dental. If you've had any dental work done, or TMJ (which I do have) or any other teeth/jaw related things. However, I'm not sure if this is the cause for me. I've also seen people say it could be related to autism, or "high functioning autism" where they seem like average "normal" people. They can provide for themselves and others and seem fine, etc. And most times aren't aware they have autism until much later in their adult life. I've never been tested for autism, and I'm no expert on the subject, but I'm aware that the autism spectrum is quite vast. I'm not saying that either of us have autism, but its just something I found and thought I should mention it.

I haven't found a solution, yet. Nor one single cause. Perhaps it could just be an allergy. I'm not sure. I personally found that moisturizing my hands helps tremendously. However, you did say you hate the feel of lotion. So unfortunately I'm not sure how to help there. This is all I was able to find at the moment. But don't worry, you're not crazy!

I have this exact same problem. I just started working at a grocery store and EVERY SINGLE DAY I just cannot talk to the customers or say anything because touching cardboard boxes and plastic bags makes my hands sooooooo dry. i even drink soooo much water and even have to pour water out on the table next to me at my register to put my hands in every few seconds and it is so bad that I have only worked there for like 3 months and have to quit now. I also remember when i was like 15, I bought a bunch of fidget toys and one of them was this twisty thing called a Tangle and it was the soft version where the pieces had velvet material on them and every time i touched it or held it, I just could not breath and this also happens every time I wake up in the morning, like every day I wake up and I am really thirsty. my brother also has this problem but i don't know if its that bad. also I have a pool table and anytime i touch the soft part, this happens to me. I'm going to buy a humidifier and see if this helps. also lotion feels like it makes this problem worse

edit: Also this happens if i am in front of a fan or if I put my head out the window in the car when the wind is blowing at me

Just wanted to reply to say I used to experience something very similar. The closest thing I'd use to describe it, is as if, upon touching specific textures (for me is was usually the inside lining of shirts) it'd feel almost as if someone just blew a bunch of baby powder in my nose and throat—choking out moisture and making me feel as if I can hardly breathe. It always felt as though it were a really physical reaction, though the trigger seemed inconsistent and dependent on additional, unknown factors (i.e. I could touch the same material that would normally provoke a reaction repeatedly, and sometimes it would die down in intensity). I've mostly grown out of it since I was a child, though I still get lesser flair ups or sensations on occasion. In recent years, I had begun to suspect I was in the spectrum or something, and that had just been a symptom of sensory sensitivities, but that's never felt like an apt description.

I'm a 63 year old black man here in the state of Indiana, and I have dealt with this my whole life.

When the reaction is triggered I'm forced to swallow, and simultaneously I can't catch my breath. It also happens with specific scents. The earliest scent that I can remember reacting to as a child was the smell of mothballs.

Over the course of my life I've found that I have the same involuntary physical response to the scent of cedar, and certain unknown strong scented perfumes and colognes.

Cottonballs, Q-tips against my finger tips (I don't experience it if it touches a part of my skin that isn't dry), wool rubbing against my fingernails at times have caused me to have walk away quickly.

Over the years from time to time I've asked doctors about it, Googled it, and even asked friends and family if it happens to them; they could never understand at all what I was trying to describe.

But a little more than an hour ago I ran across this forum whilst doing yet another Google search. I couldn't believe! Right there before my eyes was someone describing EXACTLY what I have dealt with all of my life!!!

Thank God, hallelujah, and pass the ammunition; it's not a figment of my imagination!

I immediately joined this forum in an attempt to connect with others who suffer from this weird, annoying involuntary physical "knee-jerk reaction" to certain textures and scents.

When I was a young man I was telling a group of guys about my reaction to mothballs and he jokingly said, "well maybe you're part moth"! Haha.

I have experienced this ever since i can remember. my siblings used to give me a hard time over it growing up. I understand why because it seems crazy from the outside. I understand what you described 100%. I read the comments mentioning a phobia or anxiety. I have anxiety and it is certainly not the same thing. From my research the most realistic thing i have found is a that it is a sensory issue. Im not a medical professional but it makes the most sense.

for me, it is random when it happens. certain things i pickup or touch i dont realize will make my throat dry up/hard to breathe until after i touch them. Sometimes i touch something thinking it will cause that reaction and it doesnt. It is so hard to explain to anyone because it does seem almost impossible for a reaction in your mouth to be caused by touching something. i would love to understand what is happening.

Hello. I'm a retired medical professional from the U.S. and I'll provide you with some information regarding your inquiry.

The experience you describe is tactile sensitivity, sometimes known as tactile defensiveness. Realize that mechanoreceptors in the skin can become sensitive and when overstimulated, result in a reflex response. In your own instance, the swallow reflex occurs and is related to dysphagia in the context of difficulties produced. Tactile sensitivity is quite common and some people describe having to "shake off" the sensation because it also commonly produces muscle tone reactions as well.

Cool or cold weather can indeed promote changes in sensitivity of mechanoreceptors in the skin. They are also responsible for sensitivity reactions to soft touch. The unpleasantness experienced with application of lotions is also a factor related to tactile sensitivity.

While desensitization techniques claim to be helpful, the data is a mixed bag at best. A noteworthy point is that prescription or OTC stimulants can result in tactile sensitivity and persons who are diagnosed with signs and symptoms within the autism spectrum also experience tactile sensitivity. I merely make mention here because I don't know your medical history.

Regardless, the phenomenon is nothing to worry about and tends to manifest in a cyclic manner.

Best regards

Its almost reliving to find a post/ form where people have experienced this. It would happen here and there for me. But when i got covid it amplified it, the only relief id get was carring around a wet washcloth. I currently have covid and that same sensation is back.