TikTok users are debating a curious theory that claims you can only swallow two or three times in a row before your body prevents you from continuing.
A TikToker decided to test whether it's possible to swallow more than two or three times in a row—and filmed himself giving it a go so you don’t have to.
If you've ever been kept up at night by random thoughts, like embarrassing moments from high school, you can now add this peculiar idea to your list of things to wonder about.
TikTok user Jesse Beharrell took to his page, not just to claim, but to demonstrate that supposedly "you can only swallow two to three times before your body forces you to stop."
He encouraged viewers to test it out themselves: "Go on, try it, let me know how many times you can do it."
Let’s be honest—we’ve all just tried it. And it didn’t take long for fellow TikTok users to jump into the comments, sharing their own experiences after putting the theory to the test.
One person commented: "OMG haha that's true I got angry."
But another added: "Who else did it four times just to prove him wrong."
A third chimed in: "15 and then I got bored."
Another user said: "Stopped at seven but could go on."
Even FOX 5 DC news anchors tried it live on air to see whether it’s true that you can only swallow a few times before your body stops you.
As expected, sometimes it’s best not to look to TikTok for your scientific facts.
When you swallow, your throat muscles contract in a particular sequence — this process is called peristalsis.
As long as you have enough saliva in your mouth, you should be able to swallow more than just two or three times in a row. It’s easier when you’re actually swallowing food or water.
With dry swallows, there’s less muscle contraction. The Journal of Applied Physiology explains this further, noting that "a wet swallow was associated with slower wave speed, greater duration of the contraction wave, and later time of appearance of the peristaltic wave in the distal esophagus than a dry swallow."
The journal added: "The results of our studies indicate that although the act of swallowing alone in man initiates peristalsis, afferent information contributes to the regulation of primary peristalsis."
So, if you find yourself stuck after two or three swallows, take a sip of water and give it another go—or maybe consider giving TikTok science a break.