You might be tempted to hold in a sneeze in a crowded place, when speaking to another person, or in other situations where having to sneeze seems ill-timed. But research suggests repressing a sneeze could be hazardous to your health, sometimes causing serious complications. Besides that, everyone sneezes. Sneezing is a powerful activity: A sneeze can propel droplets of mucus from your nose at a rate of up to miles per hour!
Why are sneezes so powerful? When you sneeze, your body produces pressure in your respiratory system. This includes your sinuses, nasal cavity, and down the throat into your lungs. In a study , scientists measured a pressure level of 1 pound-force per square inch 1 psi in the windpipe of a woman who was sneezing. Holding in a sneeze greatly increases pressure inside the respiratory system to a level of about 5 to 24 times that caused by the sneeze itself.
Experts say holding this additional pressure inside your body can cause potential injuries, which can be serious. Some of these injuries include:. When you hold in the high pressure that builds in your respiratory system before a sneeze, you send some air into your ears. This pressurized air runs into a tube in each of your ears that connects to the middle ear and eardrum, called the eustachian tube. Most ruptured eardrums heal without treatment in a few weeks, though in some cases surgery is needed.
That includes bacteria. Hypothetically, the redirection of air back into your ears from your nasal passages could carry bacteria or infected mucus to your middle ear, causing an infection. These infections are often quite painful. As mentioned, the position of your mouth is only one of the factors that determine the volume of sound produced by your sneeze. The more open your mouth is, the louder the sneeze will be.
Still, if you want to decrease the volume of noise by making your mouth smaller, all you have to do is clench your jaw while keeping your lips relaxed. Holding your breath is usually a good way to prevent a sneeze from coming out. The key is to take a breath as soon as you feel that tickle in your nose.
If possible, try not to inhale too deeply, as that may produce an even louder sneeze. Still, there are ways to hurt yourself even with this trick. Again, that could result in burst blood vessels. As always, one of the easiest ways to cover up any noise is to muffle it with fabric.
In this case, you have several options, including your clothing, tissues, and handkerchiefs. The last thing I want to see is people using their hands to muffle a sneeze! After all, they might use those hands to greet someone mere seconds later. Therefore, you should at least sneeze into your shoulder or the crook of your elbow, if no other options are available. However, I understand why you might think of that as unsanitary as well. But, if your goal is noise suppression, you might have better luck with thicker handkerchiefs.
For the answer, we turned to Jayakar Nayak, assistant professor of otolaryngology at the Stanford Sinus Center. You may change your billing preferences at any time in the Customer Center or call Customer Service. You will be notified in advance of any changes in rate or terms. You may cancel your subscription at anytime by calling Customer Service. It's an earth-shattering roar that usually has someone within an earshot thinking "do you really have to do that? So how is it that some people can let out a dainty outburst as quiet as a mouse while others sound like they're ripping a hole in the fabric of the universe?
A sneeze is believed to be a defence mechanism to protect your airways from noxious fumes, particles and other harmful environmental factors. Professor Richard Harvey, St Vincents and Macquarie University Hospitals, says it is triggered when the nerves in your nose detect a change in temperature or pain. That's why things like air conditioning, smoke or the even the sun can make you sneeze.
Professor Harvey says the irritation to your nose makes it watery and itchy, while you also feel the need to hold your breath. This leads to "an explosive release of air" — the sneeze. Professor Harvey says the loudness of a person's sneeze depends on their lung capacity, size and how long they hold their breath for. According to Brisbane-based company Noise Measurement Services, an "average" man's sneeze, when recorded from a distance of 60 centimetres, peaks about 90 decibels dB.
That's a similar level of sound recorded from a lawnmower — a normal conversation is about 60dB. While you can't stop your nose from getting itchy and watery, you can control how loud you sneeze with "higher functions" , Professor Harvey says. He says you can quieten your sneeze by pinching and rubbing the nose or by sneezing through your nose, but that it is a "double-edged sword". Dr Barbara Evers, a senior lecturer of sociology at Murdoch University in Western Australia, says the sound of your sneeze also comes down to class, gender and culture.
She says guides on how to behave — known as manners books — have frowned upon poor nasal etiquette since the 15th century.
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