If you hear a fizzy noise that doesn’t occur often, it’s quite harmless and doesn’t necessarily mean something’s wrong with you. But if it’s persistent, you might be looking at an underlying medical condition. GERD is usually the most common culprit as it involves acid bubbles leaking up your esophagus into your throat. GERD can be treated through home remedies by changing your daily meal intake routines and preventing trigger food. However, this doesn’t mean you can entirely cross out other possibilities explored in this article as well. When it comes to unusual sounds, Bibasilar crackles are also something to be cautious of but can usually be heard through a stethoscope.
Hearing strange noises when you’re trying to take a nap or just lying down can be very annoying (especially noises from your body). Various noises emitted by our bodies can seem unusual and point at different complications within our bodies, like the rumbling sound in our gut and ringing sounds in our ears.
These can be harmless, but at times it could also mean something’s wrong within you. This is why you need to pay attention when these noises keep coming back. This ‘fizzing’ sound is also one sound you should watch out for in the long run.
Is the fizzing sound in your throat when laying down normal? What are all the possible causes of this noise? What is GERD, and what are its symptoms? How do you treat the fizzing sound in your throat? What other fizzing sounds involving your body should you watch out for?
Is the fizzing sound in your throat when laying down normal?
Random fizzing sounds can be a very common condition that may be a little riskier in adults than children. How it happens would, of course, depend from person to person.
If the fizzing sound is something that constantly keeps happening whenever you lay down, this could be a mere symptom of an underlying illness.
This may be difficult for your doctor to diagnose as it is simply one symptom; however, with other symptoms that you might be feeling, you could filter out the most probable scenario.
What are the possible causes of the fizzing sound?
Here are some possible answers to this not-so-common question:
- Cough – This is a very common symptom if you’re already having an annoying cough. You shouldn’t be too worried about this unless it develops into an intense cough which can point to a riskier medical condition.
- GERD – Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, also known as GERD is the most probable cause for your throat fizzle, especially if you’re experiencing a burning sensation in your throat as well. GERD refers to the gastric content in your stomach getting pushed through your esophagus right up to your throat. We will be discussing this aspect further along with this article since it’s the most plausible reason.
- Something lodged in your throat– If your fizzing noise lasts for a long time with no other visible symptom, there is a chance that something is stuck in your throat. Especially if it’s your child that complains about the fizzing sound, you should be cautious and cross out this possibility before moving on to others.
- Mucus – This is highly possible if this happens to you when you’re sleeping. While you’re laying down your airway may partially be obstructed in sleep. Due to this, your throat lining may narrow and mucus can cause a ‘fizzing’ sound.
- Asthma – Asthmatic phlegm can also obstruct the airways when you’re lying down and cause a certain fizzing sound due to excess mucous.
- Bronchiectasis – Apart from the throat fizzing sound if you’re experiencing a persistent cough and breathlessness, chances are that it could also mean you have this condition. The only way to ensure it is by taking a Computed Tomography scan also known as a CT scan.
- Repressed emotions – This can also be the reason if you’ve already crossed off the other possibilities and if you’re going through a particularly emotional period in your life. This is mainly because our voice box or the vocal tract is located in the throat and contains a complex nerve supply from the Central Nervous system and the Autonomic Nervous system.
Since GERD is the most common and plausible scenario from the above list, we will be handling this possibility separately.
What symptoms can GERD have?
GERD has quite an extensive list of symptoms ranging from common to not-so-common symptoms.
The easiest way to identify these would be through a table so that you can cross-check it with what you’re precisely experiencing.
| Common symptoms of GERD | Less common symptoms of GERD |
| Heartburn – This is different from a heart attack since you should expect only a burning sensation rather than a sharp pain | Waterbrash – This is an abrupt excess of saliva in your mouth |
| Chest pain | Difficulty in swallowing |
| Vomiting – excessive vomiting, especially when you vomit bile | Dysphagia – This involves a feeling as if something is stuck in your throat. Its connection with GERD has been medically supported by studies. |
| Regurgitation – This is when food shoots up from your esophagus into your mouth | Sour taste – A sudden sour taste in your mouth |
| Coughing | Chronic sore throat |
| Pain radiating up your neck | Bad breath |
How do you stop the fizzing sound in your throat?
The best way to treat this noise is by treating the underlying illness or condition involved with it. So, to speak, the method of stopping it will differ from person to person.
If it’s normal phlegm or cold causing this sound, the best way to treat it is by trying natural home remedies for cold. You can take warm water from time to time to soothe your throat, and steaming is also known for helping loosen up the sputum. You can also try gargling with warm salt water if you’ve got a sore throat as well.
Acid reflux, which is the first stage of GERD, can be easily treatable through home remedies. You can try breaking down your meals and take them after regular intervals. It would be best if you eat smaller meals more frequently. A meal plan can help with this.
You may also want to avoid different foods that can trigger gastritis, such as spices, onions, garlic, alcohol, and any carbonated beverage.
When you lay down after a heavy meal, there’s a higher chance of stomach acids shooting up your esophagus, so it’s best to stay upright so that gravity itself will help prevent the acid from moving upwards.
It’s important to note that while these remedies may help treat your acid reflux, if it develops to a chronic stage of GERD, you will need immediate medical assistance.
If by the rare chance that it is indeed repressed emotions causing this dilemma, you should opt to find a calming environment or listen to soothing music to treat your emotions.
What other ‘fizzing’ sounds should you look out for?
Bibasilar crackles refer to a specific crackling sound that starts up in your lungs due to excess fluid in your airways. However, this is not something that you’d find out on your own, but would with the aid of a doctor and his stethoscope.
When the doctor places the stethoscope against your back and asks you to breathe slowly, they’re listening to such sounds made by your lungs which can hint at something quite serious.
Apart from this sound identified by the doctor, other symptoms like tiredness, chest pain, shortness of breath, fever, wheezing, or swelling of feet will help you identify this condition.
A 2008 study by the US National Library of Medicine shows that this crackling lung noise may be connected to age as well in certain asymptomatic cardiovascular patients.
When it comes to treatments, you would need the expert knowledge and aid of a doctor. But if your doctor says that this condition has occurred due to a lung infection or flu, you can try home remedies like using humidifiers and steam tents to relieve your cough and phlegm, respectively.
Conclusion
Depending on how you interpret it, the fizzing sound can extend to ‘gargling’ or ‘crackling’ or even ‘sizzling’ sounds. Either way, the best way to diagnose yourself is by watching and observing all your symptoms and collectively deciding rather than assuming from one mere symptom.
Once you correctly identify what it could mean and get it reaffirmed by the doctor, then only can you properly start treating your underlying condition, which will automatically stop this fizzing sound as well.
Even if you’re still not completely set on a proper diagnosis for your symptoms by now, you would’ve at least narrowed it down to the possible scenarios.
