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It is a threat that can strike anyone, anywhere. Where will you be when it hits? You might stand over beakers in a chemistry lab, carefully measuring drops of acid into vials. Or driving down a busy two-lane highway, trying to maintain your composure as oncoming traffic zooms by.
And, suddenly, there it is: ear-splitting, drooling, nose-clearing sneezing. But what if you decided, just as the urge to sneeze was peaking, to stop it? Would it be dangerous to suppress your sneeze?
Blocking the sneeze from taking its natural course can cause physical harm, but only in rare cases. A burst of air from your lungs can be redirected up and into the Eustachian tubes of the ears. These delicate tubes are susceptible to injury—even a strong inward puff of air can rupture the eardrum, causing vertigo (vertigo) or hearing loss. The force of a blocked sneeze can also push infected mucus into the Eustachian tube, where it can reach the middle ear and spread the infection.
Suppressing a sneeze can cause other problems as well, ranging from potentially dangerous to downright embarrassing. Let’s say you have a violent sneeze, but at the last minute, squeeze your nostrils to hold it in. The force of a sneeze can cause everything from a neck injury to temporary incontinence. If a sneeze occurs, a weakened blood vessel in the brain can burst, causing a temporary increase in blood pressure. Eye injuries can range from deep hemorrhages within the orbit to pressure injuries.
It turns out there’s a safe way to suppress a sneeze: Press your fingers against your upper lip, just as you feel it coming. This can disrupt the sneeze signals your brain is sending along the facial nerve. Once you sneeze, however, your best course of action may be to just let it go. You can cover everything within a 3-foot (1 meter) radius with snot, but – hey – at least you won’t burst your eardrums, put a kink in your neck or get a bloodshot eye. Will not break the drain.
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