Latest news with #sneezing
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Why do we sneeze? Why do your eyes close? A pediatric nurse explains the science of sneezing
Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you'd like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@ Why do we sneeze? – Naomi, 9, San Francisco, California Why do people sneeze with their eyes closed? Is there a way for people to sneeze with their eyes open? – Carlos, 11, Riverview, Florida Why do adults make a loud noise when they sneeze? – Artie, 8, Brooklyn, New York Aaaaa-choo! While your first thought may be to say 'Gesundheit!' your second might be to ask: 'Where did that sneeze come from?' Sneezing is a phenomenon that occurs in both people and animals. It happens when your body forcibly expels air from your lungs through your nose and mouth. Most of the time, sneezing happens when something infectious, like a virus or bacteria, or irritating, like an allergen or chemical, enters your nostrils. Your body uses sneezing as a defense mechanism to clear your nose of mucus – also known as snot – and prevent foreign objects and particles from entering your airway. But sneezing can also occur as a reaction to more unusual stimuli. Chemicals like piperine or capsaicin found in foods like black pepper and chili peppers can irritate the nerve endings inside your nose's mucous membranes and lead to a sneeze. Another type of sneeze is psychogenic, meaning it's caused by something more mental than physical. Though not fully understood, researchers believe it occurs when a strong emotion triggers your brain to send a chemical signal to your nose that makes you sneeze. And finally, about one in four people experience something called photosneezia, or a photic sneeze reflex, where light, particularly sunlight, can trigger a sneeze. Is it possible to sneeze without closing your eyes? Despite a popular myth that sneezing with your eyes open will make them pop out, it's actually possible to keep your eyes open when you sneeze. Closing your eyes during a sneeze is an autonomic reflex. This means that your body does it without you needing to consciously think about it. Scientists believe that your body makes your eyes close when you sneeze to decrease the likelihood of germs getting into them. It's possible to fight that reflex and intentionally keep your eyes open. But it might be better to keep them closed to avoid getting the germs you expelled into your eyes. Why do you make noises when you sneeze? Some people have very loud sneezes, while others have more delicate sneezes. The noise you make when you sneeze is a result of air escaping your mouth or nose. Generally, the more air you breathe in, the louder your sneeze will be. Like closing your eyes, inhaling prior to a sneeze is largely a reflex but could be consciously controlled as well. Some people even hold in or 'swallow' their sneezes, though health experts don't recommend this due to potential risk for injury. Some sneezes can be so powerful they expel mucous droplets as forcefully as 100 miles per hour! What is proper sneezing etiquette? Although sneezing is sometimes just a reflex, or the result of an allergy or chemical irritation, sneezing can also be a symptom of a contagious illness or upper respiratory infection. When you feel the urge to sneeze, best practice is to sneeze into a tissue or your sleeve to catch the germs that may come out with the air you expelled. If you caught your sneeze with a tissue or touched your nose and mouth, good hand hygiene, like washing with soap and water or using hand sanitizer, is especially important to help prevent spreading germs. Whether you sneeze with your eyes open or closed, loudly or quietly, covering your mouth and nose when you sneeze and washing your hands for 20 seconds after can help protect others from getting sick. Hello, curious kids! Do you have a question you'd like an expert to answer? Ask an adult to send your question to CuriousKidsUS@ Please tell us your name, age and the city where you live. And since curiosity has no age limit – adults, let us know what you're wondering, too. We won't be able to answer every question, but we will do our best. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Meg Sorg, Purdue University Read more: Why hand-washing really is as important as doctors say Why do people faint? Pollen is getting worse, but you can make things better with these tips from an allergist Meg Sorg does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. Solve the daily Crossword
Daily Mail
02-08-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Can you sneeze with your eyes open? Scientists finally reveal the eye-popping truth
It's a rumour that has circulated in playgrounds around the world for years. So, if you sneeze with your eyes open, will they really pop out of your head? Dr David Huston, a professor of medicine at Texas A&M University, has settled the debate once and for all. Contrary to popular belief, it's 'absolutely possible' to sneeze with your eyes open, the expert reassures. Closing your eyes while you blast out a sneeze is simply an autonomic reflex. This means your body does it without you needing to consciously think about it. And if you do manage to ignore this reflex, you'll be relieved to hear that your eyes will not pop out of your head. 'The fact that it is possible to sneeze with the eyes open suggests that it is not hard–wired or mandatory,' Dr Huston said. Sneezing is when your body forcibly expels air from your lungs through your nose and mouth. Usually, this happens when something infectious enters your nostrils – whether it's a virus, an allergen or a chemical. 'Your body uses sneezing as a defense mechanism to clear your nose of mucus – also known as snot – and prevent foreign objects and particles from entering your airway,' explained Meg Sorg, Clinical Assistant Professor of Nursing at Purdue University in an article for The Conversation. Sneezing can also occur in reaction to more unusual stimuli. 'Chemicals like piperine or capsaicin found in foods like black pepper and chili peppers can irritate the nerve endings inside your nose's mucous membranes and lead to a sneeze,' Ms Sorg added. What's more, some people experience something called 'photosneezia', where light can trigger a sneeze. Regardless of the type of sneeze, one thing is certain – most people close their eys when this happens. While the reason for this reflex remains unclear, Dr Huston suggest it may be a way to protect your eyes from germs. 'The body works to rid its airways by sneezing when it detects irritating particles in the nose,' he explained. 'By automatically shutting the eyelids when a sneeze occurs, more irritants can potentially be prevented from entering and aggravating the eyes.' Though your eyes do automatically close in response to a sneeze, technically you could fight the reflex, and keep them open. Thankfully, Dr Huston confirmed that playground claims that this would cause your eyes to pop out are 'far–fetched tales'. 'There is little to no evidence to substantiate such claims,' he said. 'Pressure released from a sneeze is extremely unlikely to cause an eyeball to pop out even if your eyes are open.' When pressure builds up in your eyes, usually it's in the blood vessels, and not the eyes or surrounding muscles, Dr Huston added. In certain scenarios, this can cause your smallest blood vessels – called capillaries – to burst. 'During childbirth, excessive straining can cause some veins to hemorrhage, leaving a mother's eyes or face to appear red or markedly bruised,' Dr Huston said, 'But it is irresponsible to claim that such pressure could dislodge the eye from its socket.' What are the symptoms of hayfever? Hay fever is an allergic reaction to pollen, typically when it comes into contact with your mouth, nose, eyes and throat. Pollen is a fine powder from plants. Symptoms include: a runny or blocked nose itchy, red or watery eyes itchy throat, mouth, nose and ears loss of smell pain around your temples and forehead headache earache feeling tired The NHS recommends staying indoors whenever possible, keeping windows and doors shut, and showering and changing clothes after being outside to minimise contact with pollen.
CTV News
16-06-2025
- Health
- CTV News
I Deal With Spring Allergies Every Year, And Here Are My Favourite Products That Help
An air purifier, shower steamers, tissues, and everything else you'll need when allergy tablets just aren't cutting it. I've been dealing with spring allergies my whole adult life. They tend to be the worst around mid to late May, but the intensity of them varies from year to year, so I always feel like I have to be prepared for the worst Like millions of others, I take an over-the-counter medication daily, but there are just some days I need some extra assistance to ease symptoms. Through my years of suffering through springtime, I've reached for products like these to help me get through the worst bouts of sneezing, sniffling, and discomfort. Here are a few of the best products for combating allergies: I Tested the Hatch Restore 2 to See If It Could Really Improve My Sleep Routine Our Guide To The Best Reel Mowers In Canada In 2025 (And Where To Get Them) The Absolute Best Pill Organizers You Can Get In Canada Right Now Disclaimer: The prices displayed are accurate at the time of publication. We'll do our best to keep them as up-to-date as possible, but you may see slight changes.
The Guardian
16-06-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
‘It got messy': the good, the bad and the sneezy of testing hay fever remedies
The best things in life are a … a … wait, it's coming … a … Achoo! Ew, sorry. Where was I? The best things in life are itchy and explosively sneezy. Picnics in freshly cut grass, walks in the woods, burying your face in the cat. Full of the joys of summer, and guaranteed to send your body's allergy responses wild. The Guardian's journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more. If you're in the 49% of British folk who suffer from seasonal hay fever, you probably envy me for being asked to test hay fever remedies for the Filter. Here was my chance to have all my symptoms blitzed by the best cures medical science and TikTok had to offer. Sadly, it didn't quite work like that. For starters, I had to give up my daily pill (second-generation antihistamine Allevia, which works fairly well) to test supposed alternatives (such as local honey, which did not work for me). I wanted to give each purported panacea a fair shot, so I had to go in with eyes streaming and nose a-blazing. It got messy. I would always rather be in the woods, as I insist on stating at the end of all my articles, and I wasn't about to let my break from Allevia put me off. Off I went each morning, my body's histamine system ready to leap into completely OTT defence against deadly threats such as, oh, the common hazel tree. Hazel, of course, is not deadly. My body's reaction to its pollen is like a chihuahua losing its furry little mind at the postman. Both overreactions are very real, very annoying and potentially physically debilitating. For one woodland walk, I wore a thick Hepa filter mask that I expected to be one of the most effective products in my test. I promptly sneezed into it. Long, soggy seconds passed as I untangled its Velcro fastenings from my hair and got the thing off my face so I could blow my nose. I won't be donating that one to charity. Perhaps good old (like, really old) first-generation antihistamines would be more effective? Diphenhydramine was developed in the 1940s to treat allergies and motion sickness, and today it's the active ingredient in Nytol. Down the hatch it went, and down went my mood and energy. The zombie afternoons didn't translate into well-slept nights. I'd wake up coughing, my throat dry from breathing through my mouth because my nose was inflamed (please do not try to picture this). Different anti-allergy drugs have different effects on different people, but Nytol won't be going on my shopping list again. Even the best remedies brought their own problems. My bedroom became a bombsite of nasal sprays, eye drops, eucalyptus patches, special bedding, highfalutin vacuum cleaners and assorted air purifiers. I'd raised an eyebrow at the idea of an air purifier (great, another magic gadget), but the MeacoClean proved a revelation, humming away quietly and helping to rid the air of allergens. It and HayMax barrier balm were the two products that made me wonder whether I should bother going back to Allevia. Well, I did – not least because an air purifier isn't much use in the woods. I really didn't want to put 'take a pill' at the top of my remedy league, and it's probably not what the honey influencers and stinging nettle advocates want you to hear. And hey, maybe they'll work for you. But for me, a second-generation antihistamine remains the least bad symptom suppressant of the lot. Achoo. Scared of shorts? Here are 53 perfect pairs for every occasion The best Apple Watches in 2025: what's worth buying and what's not, according to our expert M&S is back! Here are 12 of the season's best pieces to shop online The best pregnancy pillows for support and comfort, tested 'Great flavour, delicate tang': the best supermarket sourdough, tasted and rated by Thomasina Miers The best sunscreens for summer: Sali Hughes's 57 favourite face and body SPFs Heading to a festival this summer? Unlike camping-camping, festival camping requires extra thought. You won't have a car to ferry all your gear, you can't choose the weather, and you want to bring a bit of glamour to the party. So whether you're raving on a Spanish island or sheltering from the drizzle with the kids in Wales, you need our expert guide to what to bring – from toiletries to the best shoes, camping gear to blister plasters. Plus, the things you don't need to lug. Hannah BoothEditor, the Filter Planning some picnics in the park while the sun is shining? You might be surprised to know just how many high-quality drinks in tins are available these days – from watermelon margaritas to kombuchas and modern-day meads. And there's nothing like a can of Villa Maria sauvignon blanc to go with those posh crisps and olives. Our drinks expert Joanne Gould put 40 to the test. Has something you bought made you fitter or healthier? Maybe it's the budget resistance bands that have you working out every day, or a bento box that's inspired you to pack healthier lunches. Let us know by replying to this newsletter or emailing us at thefilter@
