Know Facts You Probably Don't Know about Sneezing

Sneezing is an almost universal daily phenomenon as a reflex to evacuate irritants from the nasal cavities, Dr. Magdy Badran says.

Sneezing helps keep your body safe. It is an important part of the immune process, helping to keep us healthy and sniffle-free. Sneezes protect your body by clearing the nose of bacteria and viruses.

Active intervention to limit a sneeze can be deleterious. Closure of the airway during a sneeze can result in over 20 times the airway pressures resulting in a variety of untoward events.

What Causes Sneezing?

Most often, it is allergies (allergic rhinitis is the most common cause of persistent or frequent sneezing), followed closely by the common cold.

Sneezing is considered to be a physiological defense mechanism against nasal mucosal irritation due to allergy, infection, odors, chemical irritants, physical irritants such as smoke, pollution, perfumes, and cold air.

Other primary causes include the involuntary nervous system, sneezing related to seizures, and psychological or emotional sneezing. Unusual triggers of sneezing include light, a full stomach, sexual ideation, and orgasm.

Sneezes Start in Your Nerves

Sneezing usually begins with the release of chemicals such as histamine or leukotrienes.

Allergic reactions with the nasal mucosa require the presence of IgE (allergy antibody specific for the allergen). This leads to fluid leakage from vessels in the nose, causing symptoms of congestion and nasal drip. Additionally, nerve endings are stimulated, leading to the sensation of itching.

Ultimately, the nerve ending stimulation leads to the activation of a reflex inside the brain. The nervous impulse travels up the sensory nerves and down the nerves controlling muscles in the head and neck, and that leads to the rapid expulsion of air.

The high velocity of the airflow is achieved by the buildup of pressure inside the chest with the vocal cords closed. The sudden opening of the cords allows the pressurized air to flow back up the respiratory tract to expel the irritants. This helps to remove offending particles in the nose.

[caption id="attachment_87090" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Man Uses Tissue While Sneezing[/caption]

You Don't Sneeze In Your Sleep

We actually should be more prone to sneezing during our sleep, as the mucous membranes swell when we lie down.

This makes them more sensitive, but they're usually isn’t as much airflow or movement to stir up irritating particles, so they aren’t as exposed to stimulants.

During REM sleep (the phase where dreams take place), your muscles are paralyzed so that you don’t thrash around and hurt yourself.

This paralysis extends to reflex muscle contractions, so you can’t sneeze while you are dreaming. In non-REM sleep, your muscles are free to move again but the trigeminal motor neurons responsible for triggering a sneeze are still suppressed.

It is just about possible to sneeze during this non-REM sleep, but the exertion will normally wake you up.

Sneezes are Speedy

Sneezes travel at about 100 miles per hour. A single sneeze can send 100,000 germs into the air. These germs can carry viruses, such as influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and adenoviruses, which cause the common cold.

They can also carry bacteria, such as Streptococcus pneumonia or Haemophilus influenza. The most critical time for the spread of those germs is in the first few minutes after a sneeze.

This type of transmission is of special importance since it doesn’t require proximity between inpiduals.

Photic Sneezing

Photic sneeze reflex is also known, somewhat humorously, as autosomal dominant compelling helio-ophthalmic outburst (ACHOO syndrome).

It’s a condition characterized by successive sneezing induced by bright light. It affects between 1 in 3 to 1 in 10 inpiduals. This is different from a normal sneeze, which is triggered by an infection or an irritant.

Sitting in a brightly lit house might not trigger a sneeze. But you may start sneezing if you step into direct sunlight.

Similarly, if you’re driving through a tunnel on a bright, sunny day, you might start sneezing upon exiting the tunnel.

The actual cause of the photic sneeze reflex is unknown. One theory is that sneezing involves the optic nerve.

A change in light may stimulate this nerve, creating the same sensation as having an irritant in the nose. This sensation could be responsible for the sneeze.

Another theory is that light exposure causes eye tears, which briefly empty into the nose. This might also cause temporary irritation in the nose and sneezing.

Psychogenic Sneezing

Intractable sneezing may be psychogenic in origin. Intractable sneezing is not a commonly encountered disorder.

Stress can make an allergic response worse. Allergies are a stressful business. Coping with watery eyes, a runny nose, sneezing, coughing, or a sore throat affects how you get through each day.

The primary consequence is a reduced quality of life. This naturally can lead to stress on patients and their families. The influence goes both ways: not only can allergies cause stress, but stress can make allergies worse.

Feeling stressed for any reason can also affect allergies. One effect is psychological. Stress amplifies our emotional reaction to any symptoms we are having.

Stress can intensify how bothered you are by your allergy symptoms. When people are under stress, they can feel as if nothing is going well, including their health.

Sneezing Etiquette

Sneezing in public can be embarrassing and it can lead to the spread of germs. There are also a few things you can do to be more polite when you sneeze in public.

How to sneeze properly? Cover your nose and mouth with a thick tissue. This is the best way to contain germs. Make sure to dispose of your used tissues right away to help prevent them from spreading your germs.

Sneeze into your elbow. If you don't have a tissue, the best way to catch your sneeze is to bend your elbow and hold it close to your face while sneezing.

This works best if you are wearing long sleeves. The goal is to contain the sneeze with your clothing so it doesn't spread into the air.

Don't sneeze into your hands. If you have nothing else to sneeze into and sneeze into your hands, make sure you wash your hands immediately. You can also use hand sanitizer for this purpose as well.

Whenever you sneeze, it is very important to get rid of any residual germs by washing your hands with soap and water right away. This is especially important if you sneezed into your hands or a tissue.

Stay away from people. Sneezes can come on unexpectedly, and no one expects you to keep your distance from other people at all times just in case.

If, however, you are sick and are sneezing a lot, do your best to give other people some space. This includes staying home from work or school when sick if at all possible.

Don't hold a sneeze in. Although stopping a sneeze may seem like the most polite thing to do, it's usually not the best option once a sneeze has already started.

In rare instances, people have even been injured by holding a sneeze in. Some of the most common injuries include ruptured blood vessels and broken ribs.

If you're around a lot of people and you feel a sneeze coming on, try to create as much distance between yourself and the other people as possible.

If you can, take a few steps away. If you don't have time for that, try turning your body away from everyone else. No matter how much distance you create, it's still important to contain your germs by sneezing into a tissue or your sleeve.