Achoo! 10 Facts And Myths About Sneezing | Ear, Nose, Throat, and Dental problems slideshows | Body & Health Conditions center

Photic Sneeze Reflex

Fact: there is scientific evidence that looking at the sun can trigger sneezing, and this is referred to as the "Photic Sneeze Reflex". Sneezing is a normal occurring protective reflex of the human body. It generally happens as a result of an irritation of the nose. But when it comes to explaining the etiology of the photic sneeze reflex, a different theory (rather than nasal irritation) is developed, and that is the theory of nerve proximity. The trigeminal nerve is responsible for facial sensation and motor control. When it senses nasal irritation, it fires. It is also closely related to the optic nerve, which senses light entry in the retina. Henceforth, it could be possible that firing of the optic nerve (through sunlight for example) causes some electrical signal to be mistakenly sensed by the trigeminal nerve, thus causing a sneeze.

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Photo courtesy of Brooke Graham by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/brke/3793934370/
www.everydayhealth.com/allergy-pictures/why-we-sneeze-and-other-fun-facts-about-sneezing.aspx#/slide-1
http://www.webmd.com/allergies/features/11-surprising-sneezing-facts
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=looking-at-the-sun-can-trigger-a-sneeze
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=looking-at-the-sun-can-trigger-a-sneeze

What Else Can Make You Sneeze?

Sneezing can be induced by anything else that can stimulate the trigeminal nerve or better, irritate the nose. This includes exposure to cold weathers, strong and pungent smells (like perfumes, food items such as onions, meals, peppers, garlic, etc.), dust inhalation, just to name a few. Pollen (from plants and flowers) can also trigger a sneeze. Surprisingly enough, plucking your eyebrows might actually make you sneeze! This is due to the fact that when you pluck your eyebrows, you might trigger the cutaneous branch of a nerve that can fire and cause sneezing. Physical exercise can also make you sneeze, as it causes you to lose fluids that can result in nasal mucosa dryness.

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Sneezing Is The 'Rebooting' Of Our Bodies

Fact: this is particularly true, given that sneezing is a protective mechanism of the body. The intensity of a forceful sneeze (because sneezes are always forceful) can help to clear your nasal mucosa from countless bacteria and viruses. This the main reason why people are usually asked to cover their mouth and nose when sneezing, to avoid infecting the neighborhood. During a sneeze, your chest muscles contract (which sets off the pressure of the sneeze), your throat muscles relax (which allows the air to exit speedily), and simultaneously, air, saliva and mucus (with trapped bacteria) are forcefully pushed out of your mouth, nose and eyes.

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Sneezes start in your nerves

Fact: this is true, as sneezing is a central nervous system reflex. Like all body reflexes, the sneezing reflex involves a reflex arc that includes several parts: - A receptor: free nerve endings in the nasal mucosa. They are the one in contact with the irritant (smell, peppers, cold, viruses, pollen, etc.) - A sensory nerve: this is the first nerve to fire. It carries the action potential to the "sneezing center" in the brain; - An integration center: which is the sneezing center in the brain, where the information is processed and sent back; - A motor nerve: which carries the information back from the sneezing center to the nose; - The effector: the organ that responds to the effect. In this case, the effectors are the nose, the mouth and the eyes. So indeed, the sneezing reflex is a nervous process.

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Photo courtesy of Kevin Mosley by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/kevinmosley/689082637/
entertainment.howstuffworks.com/arts/circus-arts/human-blockhead2.htm

Sneezing Keeps Our Bodies Safe

Because sneezing help with the rebooting of your immune system, it keeps your body safe. As mentioned earlier, the act of sneezing is a protective body mechanism to get rid of microscopic invaders in a forceful manner, while preventing the entry of foreign bodies in the nasal mucosa. An unexpected sneeze can also help you clear up your nostrils and make it easier for you to breathe, and that is also good for your health.

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Use Your Hands, Cover Up!

It is difficult to predict when you are going to sneeze. Most of the time, you only realize that are a sneeze is coming about 5 seconds before, because it is a very quick reflex. But hey, 5 seconds are plenty of time to pull some health safety measures. Did you know that a sneeze could send about 100 000 germs in the air? For someone who is quite aware of his surroundings and his health, the advent of a sneeze will prompt you to use your hands to cover up your mouth and nose. This simple health practice is intended to limit the spread of germs in the air, while you sneeze.

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The Speed And The Sound

You have probably noticed it: our sneezes sound different, just like our laughs! However, in general the sound of a sneeze is described as an "Achoo". and according to our different cultures, languages, accents, etc. each one of us can produce a sort of "modified Achoo" when we sneeze. For instance, in French, it sounds like "Atchoum", in Japanese it sounds like "Hakashun" and in Filipino, it is close to "Ha-ching". In addition, sneezes occur very fast, just like any other reflexes. It has been said that sneezes are thought to travel at a speed of about 100 miles per hour!

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Our Heart Stops When We Sneeze

Myth: even when we sneeze, our heart keeps beating. Some people might be tempted to think that our heart stops beating with a sneeze because when we sneeze, the pressure inside of our thorax rises then suddenly drops, and the forceful expulsion of air causes compression of the heart within the thoracic cavity. However, luckily none of these events can cause the heart to stop beating. Funny enough, the belief that your heart stops when you sneeze has been traced back to the ancient times, when people used to think that sneezing makes you blow your soul out of your nose. That is also why people tend to reply to a sneeze with a "God bless you", because apparently saying so would stop the devil from claiming one's soul.

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http://www.livescience.com/32306-does-your-heart-really-stop-when-you-sneeze.html http://people.howstuffworks.com/sneezing.htm

We Can Sneeze In Our Sleep

Myth: we cannot sneeze in our sleep, just like we cannot blink when we are deeply asleep! The reason is simple: when you are sleeping, your nervous system is on slow mode and your consciousness level is equally low. You are not awake, so it is difficult to startle you or trigger any reactions. Consequently, all reflexes are inhibited when asleep, including sneezing. If you get a nasal irritation during your sleep (that would have caused you to sneeze), the brain will still receive that information. However, a lot more stimulation will be required to actually wake you up and initiate the sneezing response, which is another reason why you cannot sneeze while you are asleep.

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Other Beliefs About Sneezing

The Sneezing reflex is quite a mysterious reflex, and because of how common it is and how intricate it can be, people have developed nurtured beliefs about how things happen when you sneeze, and why. For instance, in addition to the belief that the heart could stop when sneezing or your one's soul could evade through the nose with a big "Achoo", some people believe that keeping one's eyes opened during a sneeze can make them pop out of the head. Of course, this is not true because the eyes are strongly lodged in their socket. And no, sneezing after sexual intercourse cannot prevent pregnancy! People who support this theory believe that if sneezing can eject mucus out of the nose, it surely can eject semen out of the uterus. But unfortunately, it doesn't work that way, not even with the strongest sneeze!