Think a Sneeze Isn't Dangerous? Think Again

Yet the Worst Damage Can Come from the Sneeze You Suppress

Ever find yourself in the middle an intense conversation, a critical meeting, or just jammed into a tight space with others only to have all the symptoms of an intense sneeze come on? The genteel, polite, or just plain hygenic of us - or those without an accessible tissue - may be strongly inclined to try to hold back that sneeze at all costs. Even worse, some pinch their nostrils closed as an extra measure.

But as medical pros will tell you: NEVER suppress a sneeze.

Why? Because you can seriously hurt yourself. Sure, you might get by with no lingering problems 9 out of 10 times you try to suppress that sneeze. But statistically speaking, you're still operating under a risk.

Believe it or not, the human sneeze has actually been clocked. A simple sneeze can travel at over 100 MPH - that's right, even faster than many cars will travel. Think of trying to instantly stop a vehicle traveling at that high a rate of speed. While the mucus of a sneeze weighs thousands of pounds less than that car or truck, you still have a rocket propulsion system in your head.

Understand, too, that the car may fare far better than your poor head. Our skulls and their accessory organs and glands are packed in extremely tight quarters. The very kind of percussion involved in a suppressed sneeze can wreak serious injury, mostly to the structures within our heads.

For example, you can create a prolonged "ringing" sensation, or affect your hearing, which may or may not be temporary. There's also a chance you burst an eardrum. You can actually tear blood vessels and muscles within the head. A sinus hemorrhage is also possible, and it's reported that more than a few older people have actually sustained brain injury and possible death just out of fear of committing a social faux pas like a violent sneeze.