What happens when we sneeze, and why does it feel good?
Here's what happens in your body when you sneeze
Here's what happens in your body when you sneeze
The sights of summer, like flowers and grass, can lead to the sound of sneezing. For some, it's constant, for others, it's sporadic, but we all know how it feels.
"When we get exposed to dust, strong smells, perfume, cigarette smoke, you are going to sneeze," said Dr. Pramod Kelkar, an allergist with Allina Health.
Sometimes even the sun can make some people sneeze.
"The brightness, the light can also trigger this lining of the nose," Kelkar said.
Kelkar says sneezing is a neurological reflex.
"The nerve impulses, they send a signal to the brain stem, where the sneezing center is located. Once the brain stem receives that signal, it sends a signal back to the motor neurons, that means muscles of the chest, the abdomen and throat area. They constrict, they increase the pressure, they constrict. Mouth opens, the nose opens and the air is pushed out at about 100 mph to get rid of that dust, to get rid of whatever foreign body is going into the respiratory track."
That's why it's key to muffle and cover a sneeze. The National Institute of Health reports, "A sneeze can create 40,000 virus-containing droplets that reach a radius of 7-8 meters and suspend in the air for up to 10 minutes."
So why does our body have such a dramatic response to simply protect?
"Because if the air is not coming out at high speed, you will not be able to get rid of that dust particle. So it is a protective mechanism," Kelkar said.
It's a process that sounds painful, but, oddly, it's the opposite. Some people say it feels "good" after you sneeze.
"So the pressure is building in your chest, in the abdomen, in the throat area, that pressure is relieved. So you feel like that," Kelkar said.
Research also shows some endorphins are released, creating a natural runner's high.
Even though they are tough to suppress, sneezes are quick to endure.
Kelkar says some people are triggered to sneeze when they walk in and out of warm and cold environments. He says the best way to get ahead of sneezes is to do a daily saline nose spray or rinse.
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