Is it dangerous to hold in a sneeze?
I hold 90% of my sneezes but people keep telling me its not good to do so. So I decided to do a quick search on this issue and it turns out holding a sneeze doesn’t inflict physical internal damage. The worse that could happen is I would get an infection.
“Have you ever tried to hold in a sneeze? Here’s why you shouldn’t: A sneeze is your nose’s way of keeping things like dust, pollen and bacteria from being inhaled. These are given the boot by being forced out of your nose at terrific speeds — over 100 mph. If you try to prevent a sneeze by pinching your nose closed or holding your breath, you’re creating tremendous pressure. That pressure can force bacteria from your nose back into your sinus cavities or your ears — and the result could aggravate an underlying infection.”
[Source]
Update: Tawateeto just commented the following: hey my dads a doctor, i asked him and he said these effects r very rare, the infection is very rare and comes after a very long time, but he says holding it in can bother u for the same reason u wrote, some ppl also think if u open ur eyes while sneezing ur eyes pop out, but thats total crap they just shift in position and u can actually never manage to open ur eyes while sneezing unless ur holding them open its a very strong natural reflex
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8 Comments, add your own...
1. latifa | June 5th, 2005 at 12:55 pm
been doin that since i were a kid always wanted to get rid of the habbit
now am glad i dun’t really have to but there’s somin’ bout a hadith i heard oh well
2. busynow | June 5th, 2005 at 2:31 pm
i always hold it
3. tawateeto | June 5th, 2005 at 10:37 pm
hey my dads a doctor , i asked him and he said these effects r very rare, the infection is very rare and comes after a very long time, but he says holding it in can bother u for the same reason u wrote, some ppl also think if u open ur eyes while sneezing ur eyes pop out, but thats total crap they just shift in position and u can actually never manage to open ur eyes while sneezing unless ur holdin g them open its a very strong natural reflex
4. Liz | December 6th, 2005 at 4:11 am
I hold in a sneeze almost every time i have to sneeze.. i do feel a lot of pressure in the side of my neck. Sometimes i feel that my veins will burst, but that wont stop me from holding it in, in the future, eh..
5. Kagami | May 22nd, 2007 at 3:00 am
When your driving, you have to hold in a sneeze, or youll crash.
6. katie | December 24th, 2008 at 7:01 pm
I have a friend who use to get yelled at for sneezing so he taught himself how to hold it in. Problem is it is painful for him and I would like to try to find some help in teaching his body to sneeze again if anyone has an idea can you please let me know. Thanks
7. Gabe | January 26th, 2009 at 5:31 pm
I would imagine that you don’t spread as man germs if you hold it in. Imagine if we all held our sneezes, perhaps in time we would eradicate the cold virus once and for all, instead we keep it alive by constantly spreading it AHHhHh.
8. yizzie | November 9th, 2009 at 2:10 am
i have held my nose while sneezing since i was 6. it started bc i hated how when i sneezed, snot would explode from my nose. it was humiliating. i learned to hold in my sneezes. now at 20 years old, i had the “big” sneeze and instantly felt like something teared open in my head, right on my right temple. the pain gradually lessened with time, but now every time i sneeze w/ my nose held i get this sharp pain. i try to not hold my nose, but im just so used to it. i dont know how to sneeze normal like everyone else. im going to get a cat scan taken tomorrow. my fear is that a small vessel bursted and im bleeding internally, or that i got a blood, or something worse. im terrified..
-yiz
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