Moving foods and liquids from the mouth to the stomach is a complex process, involving coordination between the many muscles in the mouth and throat and the autonomic nervous system. Because Parkinson’s disease (PD) can affect muscular control of all or part of this process, swallowing and digesting food may become difficult. According to Leslie Harper, MS, CCC-SLP, a speech/language pathologist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham:

“Common signs of swallowing issues in Parkinson’s include the feeling that food is stuck in your throat, coughing or choking while eating or drinking, and noticing your voice sounding ‘wet’ or ‘gurgly’ or your eyes watering while eating or drinking,” she says. “Swallowing problems can also lead to unintentional weight loss and poor nutrition.”

People with PD can also experience food and liquids entering the windpipe, raising the risk for inhaling fluid or stomach contents into the lungs (called pulmonary aspiration), which can cause pneumonia.

Here are some general strategies for eating and drinking more safely:

Maintain good posture
Stay seated upright in a straight-backed chair with knees and hips at 90° and with the head slightly tilted forward.

Stay focused 
Avoid distractions like television or devices.

Take it slow
Chew thoroughly and don’t talk while eating or drinking. Taking smaller bites and sips can also reduce the risk of choking and aspiration.

Clear your throat
If you feel food or liquid caught in your throat, cough gently and swallow again before you take a breath. Repeat if needed.

Stay hydrated
Some PD medications can cause dry mouth, which makes it harder to swallow. If you don’t make enough saliva, try sucking on a popsicle or hard sour candy. Moistening food (by adding a sauce or broth, for example) is another great way to make swallowing easier.

Tips for Digestion

Due to the effects of autonomic dysfunction, people with PD can have problems digesting food as well. Gastroparesis is a condition in which the stomach muscles or the nerves controlling them aren’t functioning correctly. Regular, rhythmic contractions of the digestive tract are necessary to move food along. When that process is disrupted, delayed gastric emptying may occur. To improve digestion, try the following:

Staying upright after meals
As with swallowing, sitting or standing upright for about 30 minutes after meals can help food move more efficiently through the stomach and intestine.

Deep breathing
Deep breathing exercises strengthen the muscles of your diaphragm, which will aid digestion and help prevent acid reflux. As a bonus, deep breathing also relieves stress. Here’s a simple exercise to try: Sit or recline in a comfortable position. Inhale through the nose slowly, letting the chest and lower belly rise as lungs fill. Let the abdomen expand fully, then exhale slowly through the mouth or nose.

Regular physical activity
Walking, cycling, and other exercises that get you moving help stimulate the action of your intestines and can improve constipation, another autonomically driven GI symptom. Yoga, for instance, offers the combined benefits of physical activity and deep breathing, and many poses specifically target muscles involved in digestion.