JawaPos.com Sneezing is your body’s way of clearing irritants caused by germs, pollen or dust from your nose and throat by expelling tens of thousands of droplets from your nose at up to 100 miles per hour, according to the American Lung Association.
Sometimes, when in public, sneezing can make people and even you uncomfortable. But are there any downsides to holding back a sneeze? There are and some of them can be serious.
Closing your airways when you sneeze can put up to 20 times more pressure on your airways than simply exhaling a sneeze, according to a May 2019 review in the American Journal of Rhinology & Allergy.
Holding back the force of a sneeze can also cause an uncomfortable feeling of fullness in your chest. It’s harmless, but it may make you uncomfortable.
“You put pressure on your diaphragm, the muscle in your chest that helps you breathe. You may also experience pressure in your chest, in your ribs,” says Jason Abramowitz, MD, an otolaryngologist in Oradell, New Jersey. LivestrongFriday (11/3).
Problems with the eardrum can have a real effect, including the possible impact of holding in a sneeze.
“Our nose and ears are connected by the eustachian tube. If you hold back a sneeze, there will be increased pressure in the nose, which will flow into the ear through the eustachian tube, causing trauma to the eardrum,” says Abramowitz.
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