Can't Stop Coughing at Night? Here's What To Do
Why Can't I Stop Sneezing? The Science Behind Sneezes, And How To Stop Sneezing
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By clicking "Sign Up", you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You can opt-out at any time by visiting our Preferences page or by clicking "unsubscribe" at the bottom of the email.Sneezing is a normal biological response that happens when the mucus membranes in the nose are irritated. This is usually due to triggers like allergies or spicy food, or illnesses like the common cold.
Though it's not the best idea to hold in a sneeze once it's happening, there are many ways to prevent yourself from sneezing in the first place. Here's how to stop sneezing.
1. Avoid your triggers"The most important step in stopping your sneezing is by addressing the root cause," says Linda Khoshaba, NMD, founder of Natural Endocrinologist Specialists AZ. "Figuring out why you are sneezing and eliminating these factors will be your best line of defense."
Most people know the triggers that make them sneeze. Doing your best to avoid those — and to flush your nose when you encounter them — can prevent sneezing, Khoshaba says.
Common triggers for sneezing include:
About 30% of people experience seasonal allergies that lead to sneezing.
If you have seasonal allergies, Khoshaba suggests starting with an over-the-counter allergy medication like Claritin.
Most allergy medications contain antihistamines. These work by blocking the chemical histamine, which your body releases in response to an allergen. Antihistamines can reduce nasal swelling, which in turn can help you stop sneezing.
Quick tip: If you want to try treating your allergies naturally, check out our home remedies for allergies.
If that fails to control your symptoms, speak with your doctor or an allergist who may recommend a prescription allergy medication or allergy shots.
3. Reach for nasal sprayWhen you encounter irritants that make you sneeze, like dust or mold, a nasal spray can help flush out particles that would otherwise cause you to sneeze, Khoshaba says. Saline nasal sprays can help clear irritants and stop a sneezing fit quickly.
If you're anticipating an allergy flare-up, reach for glucocorticosteroid nasal sprays, which are useful for treating allergies, Khoshaba says. However, for these to be most effective, you need to use them consistently throughout allergy season.
Important: There are a few different types of nasal spray — corticosteroids, antihistamine, saline — that are best for certain cases. Check out our guide on how to use nasal spray to learn more.
4. Use a humidifierIf the mucus membranes in your nose dry out, they're more likely to become irritated.
Using a humidifier while you sleep — especially if you live in a dry or cold climate — can keep your nose moist and healthy.
Best humidifiers DysonYou don't have to spend hundreds on a humidifier to alleviate your sneezing at home. We tested 9 different models, and our top choices are both under $100.
5. Build your immune systemVitamin C (found in peppers and citrus) and zinc (found in seafood and meats) are both important for a healthy immune system, which can help you fight off viruses that might lead to sneezing.
"Get plenty of vitamin C and zinc in order to build your immune system and reduce the impact of allergies and decrease the chance of infection," Khoshaba says. "By increasing your intake of Vitamin C you may potentially be able to reduce the amount you sneeze in general."
6. Drink chamomile teaChamomile tea is great for sleep, but it may also have antihistamine properties that can help keep sneezing at bay.
Khoshaba recommends having a cup nightly before bed to soothe irritation. "It can be a great tool to combat sneezing by reducing the total amount of histamine in your body," she says.
7. Skip the spiceSpicy and hot foods can trigger sneezing on their own, even if you eat them sparingly, due to a condition called gustatory rhinitis.
"Gustatory rhinitis causes irritation or swelling in your nose that triggers sneezing," Khoshaba says. Notice what foods cause you to sneeze, and avoid them in the future.
Foods like black pepper, curry, and onions are all common triggers of gustatory rhinitis.
8. Eat small mealsOvereating can cause sneezing known as snatiation reflex, which appears to be linked to having a full stomach.
Scientists aren't sure why this occurs, but it can be avoided by eating smaller meals, Khoshaba says.
9. Avoid bright lightSome people have a genetic condition where exposure to bright light, often sunlight, causes sneezing and a prickling feeling in the nose. It is called the photic sneeze reflex, or autosomal dominant compulsive helio-ophthalmic outbursts (ACHOO) syndrome.
Scientists aren't exactly sure why it happens, but some research suggests that people who have it might be more sensitive to stimuli in their visual cortex. The condition is estimated to affect 18% to 35% of people.
It's more likely to happen if you leave a dark space and enter a brightly lit one. You can wear sunglasses or a hat when entering bright sunlight to try to mitigate sneezing.
10. Blow your noseIf you get a tickle in your nostril and feel like you're about to sneeze, grab a tissue and blow your nose.
"Blowing your nose can help clear your nasal cavity free from the irritant," says Khoshaba.
To correctly blow your nose, gently blow through one nostril at a time.
11. Pinch your noseLightly pinching your nose when you feel a sneeze coming on may help stop it.
Be sure to do this before you sneeze, not during a sneeze. At that point, you're already sneezing and the extra pressure can cause damage to your eardrums, nose, and eyes, Khoshaba says.
12. Press your tongue against the roof of your mouthDoctors aren't sure exactly why this works, but Khoshaba says it may help.
When you feel a sneeze coming on, simply press your tongue against your teeth or the roof of your mouth.
Other common tricks, such as saying a certain word pre-sneeze — like "banana" or "pickle" — are less likely to work.
Is it bad to hold in a sneeze?It's rare, but holding in a sneeze can cause damage to the eardrums, and in some cases, the throat.
For example, in 2018, doctors in the UK treated a man whose throat was ruptured after he attempted to hold in a sneeze by pinching his nose and covering his mouth.
Overall, it's better to sneeze and let your body use its natural mechanism of expelling irritants and germs.
Insider's takeawayOnce a sneezing fit starts, it can be hard to stop. Blowing your nose, pinching your nose before a sneeze, or pressing your tongue into your teeth or the roof of your mouth all may prevent sneezing.
Still, the best thing you can do to stop sneezing is to prevent it before it starts. You can do this by building your immune system, avoiding known triggers, and keeping your nose well-moisturized through the use of a humidifier or nasal spray.
"Addressing the root cause of your sneezing is always the best approach," Khoshaba says.
What To Know About Sneezing And Its Causes
Sneezing helps get rid of germs, irritants, and allergens from the nose. Hay fever, respiratory illnesses, and air pollutants may all cause sneezing.
Sneezing is a normal function of the body and usually not a cause for concern. It helps the body expel infections and irritants.
This article looks at different causes of sneezing, tips to relieve sneezing, treating underlying causes, and when to contact a doctor.
The area just inside the nostrils contains hair, which helps trap particles and prevent them from entering the body further. Sneezing helps the body expel irritants and germs from inside the nose.
A person may sneeze when an irritant enters the nasal passages. Sneezing can help to expel the irritant.
Looking at a sudden bright light can also cause a person to sneeze. This is called photic sneeze syndrome (PSS). People may also refer to PSS as autosomal dominant compelling helioopthalmic outburst (ACHOO) syndrome.
The exact cause of PSS is unknown, but it may be linked to increased sensitivity of the trigeminal nerve in the head. PSS may also be linked to migraine and psychological distress.
The following outlines some causes of excessive sneezing.
Allergies
Allergic rhinitis, or hay fever, can cause sneezing when the immune system overreacts to pollen from grass, weeds, or trees. The immune system can also react to other environmental triggers, such as:
People may experience symptoms of hay fever seasonally or throughout the year. Alongside sneezing, hay fever can also cause:
Infections
Some respiratory illnesses, such as the common cold, can cause sneezing. A cold is an infection of the nose and throat. Over 200 different viruses can cause a cold, but the most common is rhinovirus.
Symptoms of a cold may start developing 1 to 3 days after exposure to a cold virus, and include:
It may be possible to stop sneezing by removing potential triggers, such as allergens, irritants, and pollutants. The following tips may help:
If there is an underlying cause of sneezing, such as a cold or allergy, treatment may help to relieve sneezing and other symptoms.
If people are still experiencing allergy symptoms after avoiding triggers, medications may help reduce sneezing and ease symptoms such as nasal itching and congestion. This includes:
A person can take certain medications, such as cromolyn sodium, before exposure to an allergen. Medications for non-allergic rhinitis are also available.
Treatments for a cold may help relieve sneezing and other symptoms and may include:
There is no standard treatment for photic sneezing, but reducing exposure to bright lights may help.
If home treatments for sneezing are not working, people may want to talk with a doctor to find out the underlying cause.
If people have severe allergies, a doctor may recommend prescription medications or immunotherapy treatments, such as allergy shots or sublingual tablets.
Why am I sneezing so much all of a sudden?
If people are suddenly sneezing a lot, it may be due to exposure to an irritant or pollutant. It may also mean people are developing a cold or other respiratory illness.
Frequent sneezing may indicate an allergy, such as pollen or dust allergy. An increase in allergens, such as high pollen counts, may cause an increase in symptoms, such as sneezing.
Is sneezing a symptom of COVID-19?
Can you sneeze in your sleep?
Anecdotal sources suggest it may be possible to sneeze in lighter stages of sleep, but it is not possible to sneeze during cycles of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep.
Is it bad to hold in a sneeze?
It is best not to hold in a sneeze. Holding in a sneeze may increase the pressure in the airways by more than 20 times. This can potentially cause injuries to areas such as the throat, ears, or chest.
Can you sneeze with your eyes open?
It may be possible to sneeze with the eyes open, but as it is an involuntary reflex, the eyes may typically close with sneezing. There is nothing to suggest that sneezing with the eyes open is dangerous.
Does your heart stop when you sneeze?
The heart does not stop when you sneeze, but it may momentarily affect the heart rhythm. According to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, sneezing increases pressure within the chest momentarily, which reduces blood flow to the heart.
To adapt to this, the heart briefly changes its regular heartbeat, but the heart's electrical activity does not stop and is not a cause for concern.
Sneezing is an involuntary response to expel irritants, allergens, or infections from the nose.
Hay fever, colds, respiratory illnesses, and looking at bright lights may all cause sneezing.
People may be able to relieve sneezing by avoiding triggers and allergens and treating a cold with home remedies.
If people have severe symptoms or allergies that do not respond to home treatment, a doctor can check for underlying causes and recommend further treatment.
Ask Dr James: Why Can't I Stop Sneezing?
'Almost every evening I have an itchy tickly sensation in my throat culminating in an explosive bout of sneezing,' says one reader - Liam Tooher
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience.Generate Key Takeaways
Dear Dr James,Almost every evening I have an itchy tickly sensation in my throat culminating in an explosive bout of sneezing. My ears also ache with a sensation as if I am about to develop a head cold. After much persuading my general practitioner eventually referred me to an allergy specialist who unfortunately could neither explain what might account for this or how it could be prevented.
Dear reader,The vigorous expulsion of air when sneezing is not just (self evidently) highly effective in dislodging nasal irritants but an intriguing reflex in other ways instigated by a diverse range of stimuli. The practicalities, that come in two distinct phases, are surprisingly complex. In the first, the lining of the nose becomes engorged secreting a thin watery mucus followed by a series of deep rapid inspirations accumulating a large volume of air within the lungs. When this reaches a critical point, the elastic recoil of the expanded lungs together with contraction of the muscles of the chest wall accelerates air out through the nose and mouth at the phenomenal speed, it has been calculated, of 100 feet per second.
The common precipitants of the reflex are familiar enough colds and other viral illnesses, pollutant particles and odours and, for hay fever sufferers, pollen. But several other factors can, as here, give rise to less obviously explicable recurrent sneezing syndromes.
The physical reason you can't stop sneezingFor some it can be an abrupt change in temperature: "I sneeze profusely on getting into my car after it has been parked on the street on a cold night", reports one reader. As to exposure to bright lights or glaring sunshine, "the photic-sneeze reflex" (as it is known) may be potentially hazardous when it occurs while driving.
The psychological reason you can't stop sneezingAnger and resentment can predispose to sneezing, the late Prof Linford Rees, a psychiatrist at London's St Bart's hospital has observed, whilst conversely it may also resolve emotional tension. Pleasure too, one might infer, from how dogs greet their returning owners with a vigorous bout of sneezing.
As for humans, sexual excitement can have a similar effect first described more than a hundred years ago in "a man of sanguine temperament who whenever he caressed his wife would sneeze several times". This may be because of the surprising anatomical similarity of the lining of the nose to other better known erectile tissues of the body.
You may have gustatory rhinitisThis obscure medical term refers to the phenomenon where the taste (gustatory) of certain foods can cause the nasal lining to become inflammed (rhinitis) resulting in explosive bouts of sneezing. Pickled foods, dark chocolate, sugar and cheap white wine are the main culprits. This form of recurrent sneezing tends to run in families so there is a genetic component but when it develops in later life is clearly age related.
Aspirin may sometimes cause sneezingMany nowadays take a small daily dose of aspirin in anticipation its blood thinning properties may reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke. This, along with the widespread use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), such as Nurofen, is probably the major cause of otherwise unexplained sneezing syndromes.
Treatment for sneezingRecurrent sneezing is essentially a benign condition though, if very rarely, the convulsive pressure changes within the chest may rupture a blood vessel with bleeding into the brain or retina. Its frequency and intensity can be mitigated with antihistamines and nasal sprays. Beyond that, squeezing the upper lip or vigorous nose blowing may, it is claimed, terminate a prolonged bout.
Email queries and comments in confidence to Drjames@telegraph.Co.Uk
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