Why do we drink water after coughing if our windpipe controls our respiratory system and the water goes down our esophagus?
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The human larynx is coated with super sensitive neurons with a direct line to the brain. They are ever vigilant for anything (that’s not air) that might get past and put you in danger of aspirating water or food into your lungs, which the lungs are not designed to process, and that could possibly cause infection (aspiration pneumonia). Drinking is a fairly complex sensimotor activity that requires a lot of coordination of a bunch of muscle systems. When things momentarily fall out of coordination, you aspirate water, and those neurons kick in to signal the brain to generate an immediate, protective action (coughing). So drinking water after you’ve had water “go down the wrong pipe” likely signals to the muscles involved in the pharyngeal phase of swallowing that the elastic cartilage that seals off your airway is closed and everything is back in coordination again.
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