Why You Sneeze and More Surprising Facts About Sneezing

Sneezing, or sternutation as it’s scientifically called, is quite common and everyone has experienced a sneezing fit at some point. Many times you can point to the direct cause of sneezing. The usual suspects are related to allergies or having a cold or the flu. But, there are other factors which can cause you to sneeze as well.

Here are some surprising facts about sneezing:

1. When you sneeze, your sneeze can travel as fast as 100 miles per hour and spread within a five-foot radius and as far as 30 feet. Maybe this is why we are susceptible to catching viruses when others are sneezing around us. When you sneeze, you literally sneeze far and wide.

2. Your nose sometimes needs a reboot and sneezing is a natural way to reset your nasal passages. When you sneeze it helps to reset the environment in your nasal cavities. Bad particles which are trapped are loosened through the nose from the pressure that occurs when you sneeze. According to Science Daily, this process happens when biochemical signals are present that help with the beating of the cilia (microscopic hairs) which line our nasal cavities.

3. Sunlight can make you sneeze. There are the obvious culprits which can cause sneezing, like being exposed  to pepper, feathers, or  you may have a cold or allergies. But, another factor which can cause sneezing is bright sunlight. According to informal surveys, 17 to 35 percent of people sneeze when they are exposed to sunlight. The term associated with this reaction is called photic sneeze reflex. Scientists haven’t figured out why this happens but believe it may have something to do with a message the brain receives to shrink the pupils when bright light is present and this crosses paths with the same messaging which causes your brain to send a message to you to sneeze.

4. Sneezes tend to occur in sequences. Have you ever sneezed, then sneezed two or three times consecutively? This happens for a specific reason. When irritants enter your nose, it often takes several attempts to get those irritants out, which causes you to have consecutive sneezes in sequences of 2 -3 times.

5. You can’t sneeze with open eyes. Your eyes close involuntarily when you sneeze. This happens because your brain receives a message to close your eyes in the lead-up period before you sneeze. This is an involuntary reflex. It is similar to what happens when a physician taps your knee and your other knee automatically jerks upward. Likewise, the reaction of your eyes closing is one which is outside of your normal control.

6. You may be able to prevent a squeeze. Live Science reports that there may be a couple of tricks you can do to prevent a sneeze you may feel coming on suddenly. You can try to rub your nose or press on your upper lip underneath your nose which causes a big, deep breath out your nose. However…

7. Holding a sneeze can be bad for your health! You may be tempted to hold back on sneezing. Don’t. When you hold back a sneeze, it can lead to broken blood vessels in your eyes, a weakening of blood vessels in the brain, rupturing your eardrums and even causing some issues in your diaphragm. Who knew? While these injuries occur in rare instances, they can occur. Next time you feel that sneeze coming on, go ahead and let it out.

Sneezing is a natural occurrence to help you reset your nasal passages. It is your body’s normal way of eliminating irritants from your nose. Next time you feel a sneeze coming on have comfort in knowing that sneezing is healthy, normal and is a necessary step in removing those irritants from your nasal passages.