Why We Sneeze, And Other Fun Facts You Probably Didn’t Know About Sneezing

Aaa..aaaachoooo! Why do we sneeze? Ever given it a thought? People have always postulated that it is an involuntary reflex action. True. But there is more. Sneezing, that reflex action, is triggered by many irritants such as pollen, pollutants, dust, germs etc. that enters our nose. On infiltrating our nose lining, these irritants – there is a wide range of them – triggers the brain which sends signals that instructs

• the lungs to take a deep breath,
• the chest muscle to contract, build pressure around the heart and lungs
• the throat, eyes and mouth to close tightly

Consequently, air, saliva and mucus is forced out of you mouth and nose with an Aaa…aaaachooo sound. All the irritants are simultaneously sent out.

Below are some facts you’d find surprising,

1. Nerves are the starting point. It’s a nerve transmission that tells your brain something is in your nose that needs to come out. There is a part in the brain called the ‘sneeze center’.

2. You can stop a sneeze if you try breathing through your mouth and pinching the end of your nose.

3. The Sun can make you sneeze. Researchers say bright sunlight can cause 1 out of 3 people to sneeze

Related: How to beat sneezes: The ten ingenious ways to fight off Cold and Flu

4. Sneezing contributes to good health. Sneezing is an important part of the immune system. Sneezes protect your body by clearing the nose of bacteria and viruses.

5.  Plucking your eyebrows may make you sneeze. Plucking may set off a nerve in your face that supplies your nasal passages. As a result, you sneeze.

6.  The longest sneezing spree lasted 978 days. This record was set by Donna Griffiths of Worcestershire, England, according to background information on the Library of Congress’ web site.

7. You don’t sneeze in your sleep. When you sleep, so do your sneezing nerves — which means you usually don’t sneeze when you doze.