The Six Secrets Of Sneezing

divinecaroline.com:

I've always looked forward to my dad's sneezes. (Yeah, I know how weird that sounds.) Not that I'm constantly hoping he'll catch a cold, but he has the best sneeze I've ever heard. It's loud, powerful, and it sounds like he's crying out "Blllleeessss ya!" each time he does it. His sneezes sound wholly satisfying--the antithesis to the barely-audible squeaks emitted by the woman I sat next to on the bus this morning.

The same kind of irritants (dust, pepper, etc.) can create the same internal reaction in all of us, but its externalization is highly individualized. We all know that everyone sneezes differently, but have we ever considered why? For being such a common, everyday occurrence, that little (or big) expulsion of air is actually a complex process involving more nuances than many of us realize.

Read the whole story: divinecaroline.com

Comments

[larry278]

Always carry an air-proof & water-proof small container of dry snuff to arrange sneezes. A hearty sneeze, a really hearty sneeze, so that you sneeze up your toe nails, is a good way to clear your head, particularly if you sneeze out your brains too.

[onwisconsin]

I am always amazed at some of my female college students who are able to sneeze so daintily. When I sneeze, they always comes in multiples and they are NEVER dainty! But then again, I sneeze all the time because I have so many environmental allergies. The meds help but nothing will take away all of the symptoms all of the time. I can put up with the sneezing! I just carry a handkerchief or tissues at all times.

I used to hear from people who had my college prof essor dad's bio courses that if people stifled sneezes he would stop the class and lecture them on the dangers of doing that. I always found that strange because he never did that at home. Of course we all just sneezed out loud and covered. The funny things people tell you about your parents.

[ObamacratDOTus]

This article missed the biggest reason of all for the custom of saying, "God Bless You". Your heart actually stops for a split second during a sneeze. Essentially, you die for a moment. Additionally, there is a weak spot during the heart beat where, if the sneeze happens at just the wrong millisecond, your heart could stop and not restart. Don't worry though, it is very unlikely.

I worked at a nursing home once and heard of a nurse who was carrying a tray of meds. She turned her head to sneeze and broke her collar bone with the force of the sneeze.

When I was 19 I was doing hatha yoga for hours every day. When I felt a yawn coming, I would breathe into it and turn it off. I tried doing this to a sneeze once while meditating. I felt the sneeze coming and breathed into it. The sneeze just hung there in the back of my throat. It wouldn't go away like the yawn did but I halted it for over a minute. Finally, I just decided to sneeze and have it done. To this day I can still turn off a yawn.

[Altx]

OBcrat.us said : "This article missed the biggest reason of all for the custom of saying, "God Bless You". Your heart actually stops for a split second during a sneeze."

I think you'll find that that's one of several misconceptions (see below). But thanks, will be working on your anti-yawning trick to avoid offense at my next co-op board meeting!

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"Some people believed that a sneeze causes the soul to escape the body through the nose. Saying "bless you" would stop the devil from claiming the person's freed soul. Others believed the opposite: that evil spirits use the sneeze as an opportunity to enter a person's body. There was also the misconception that the heart momentarily stops during a sneeze (it doesn't), and that saying "bless you" was a way of welcoming the person back to life."


http://health.howstuffworks.com/sneezing.htm
http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/sneeze.html

[SteveDenver]

I had heard a blessing is offered because it's impossible to keep your eyes open and a demon can jump up your nose.

[Cavale Sevcech]

this was one of the stupidest articles i've ever read.
so i guess it's only fitting that it would be followed by one of the stupidest comments i've ever read.

thanks for a memorable time.

[Tulka2]

I was taking you seriously until you got to different kind of sneezes. If you think i can help sneezing a gigantic three times in a row, you are wrong.

[MrsPeel]

I'm with you and sheilaofmiami below. Sometimes my sneezes can be kind of explosive, because many people have asked me, "Is that a sneeze? What is that?"

It's part 'achoo' and part cough -- I guess -- but so what? I'm supposed to hold it in and produce one of those prissy, dainty 'atu' sounds? You think I want that kind of attention? So annoying that people have all the preconceptions about what a sneeze is.

I turn away and cover my face, but it it would feel unhealthy not to release whatever is going on.

[AngieMom57]

Or blow your ear drums ;-)

[AngieMom57]

Lately, these past few days, I've been having a sneezing fit. No manner of controlling the projectile, the frequency, or the amounts of sneezing, then after this explosive invasion of wind, I'm fine.

I immediately head to the nearest exit, cotton handkerchief in hand; then to the sink for a good hand washing, all that H1N1 flu hype made me appreciate hand washing again, my grandmother would be proud ;-)

[spacester]

I am the only person I know who sneezes through the nose. The whole ahCHOO with all the spraying of spit seems so wrong. I sneeze thru the nostrils, clearing them of the offending particles, and there is little to no moisture expelled. It seems so natural, yet I never see anyone else do it that way.

[Fromageball]

I think I do this actually, I sneeze through the mouth too though.

[lilkunta]

So mulitple sneezes are gentic?
Are th sounds genetic as well?

[cannante]

sneezing, sex and singing... the big three

[SarcasticFringehead]

I like to sneeze -- it's a lot like having an orgasm.

[Tulka2]

Hi. It's a lot like nursing a baby when the milk "comes down", but i see what you mean too.

[Montreaux1991]

"Snatiation is a term used to describe the multiple sneezes that come after eating a big feast; it’s also passed down via genes."

LOL! Well, that certainly explains the imfamous sinuses that my dad, one uncle and myself inheirited from my grandfather!

Like clockwork: the minute you're done eating, better grab the napkin because your nose is about to rebel on you!

[snoopjohnny]

Snatiation? Sounds like a great term to describe the satisfying relief of a big sneeze.... Allergies to pollens, cats, mold, etc. can be inherited, sinus characteristics, too. Some people have large sinuses that resonate well, like a violin....great for singing.

My sneezes are explosive; I learned as a child to expel air just before sneezing...too much PSI, otherwise.....I call this "Snifflus". When I sneeze convulsively, it's the "Sneezles".

[sheilaofmiami]

Trust one who sneezes multiple times, it is not to get attention. My body does as it will when it comes to sneezing.

[Tulka2]

Me too, but in the 1700s it was widely believed that people who sneezed multiple times were "quality". In other words, well born. I read somewhere once it was because only rich people could afford snuff.