If the mouth is used for both breathing, eating and drinking, how do I drink a glass of water without drowning

Answer 1

The windpipe closes automatically when you swallow so you can't breathe.

Incidentally, babies can swallow and breathe at the same time. A young baby is able to continuously suck while breathing normally.

As the baby grows anatomical changes occur in the throat - these changes mean that the child, like the adult cannot inhale when swallowing.

Of course, we occasionally do which is very unpleasant!

The fail-safe mechanism doesn't work if we are deeply unconscious which is why someone who is drunk is in danger of inhaling their own vomit if they pass out.

The changes in the throat continue as the child grows. The voice box which in a child is very far down the throat and gives children their high-pitched voice moves up to give the 'adult' voice.

Answer 2

you have a little flap at the back of your mouth that, when eating or drinking, closes over the windpipe and directs food and drink down the [thing that sounds a bit like asparagus - sorry I'm not going to embarrass myself by trying to spell it]

in a few million years, if we survive, evolution will come up with a better system. Choking is a major reason for not passing on your genes, so a less hazardous arrangement would definitely be an advantage.

Answer 3

When a person drowns, its because the water goes down the windpipe, and into the lungs, inhibiting the ability to breathe. When a person drinks a glass of water, it goes down the oesophagus and into the stomach and, since you don't drink through your lungs, it doesn't make you drown

Answer 4

You cannot swallow and breathe at the same time. It is possible to force yourself not to actually swallow the water. That way you can drown yourself. It's very hard to do though, because you would need to fight the natural urge to swallow.

Otherwise, Julie's already anwered the technical side of your question, and it would be plain annoying of me just to repeat what has already been said.

Answer 5

Although you've got something in your mouth, you are still able to breathe in & out through your nose, so you'll never drown from drinking or choke on food.

Answer 6

There are two 'tubes that lead from your mouth .
The trachia(windpipe) Which leads to your lungs, this is were the air goes.
and The osaphagus, this leads into you stomach,this is where the food and drink goes!!!

Answer 7

because the windpipe sepeates into two sections. The sectiopnn going towards the lungs is blocked off when food and drink enters to stop you choking.

Answer 8

Because when you eat the system attached to your mouth is different - there is a food tube and a breathing tube.

Answer 9

There is swollowing mechanism that covers the trachea when you drink.It's called the epiglottis and it flaps shut to prevent food or liquid from entering the trachea(windpipe).

Answer 10

There is a flap that automatically shuts off the entrance to the lungs when you swallow. When you 'choke' on something it's because the flap hasn't moved in time.