As the name indicates, a nasogastric tube (NG) is a tube that runs through the nose into the stomach. While a lubricant is used, the process is uncomfortable. Moreover, there is a risk that the tube will move into the trachea (or past the cribriform plate into the brain!). Asking the patient to swallow can help direct the tube into the esophagus and speed up the process. Making sounds or breathing unusually opens the larynx and risks misdirection of the NG tube. Performing the valsalva maneuver is unhelpful and possibly dangerous.