We have a recent argument at home. It started when we noticed our daughter trying to hold her sneeze by pinching her nose. She would usually do it when we were eating, and she said she is also doing it in school so she wouldn't catch the attention when in class.
We all know that sneezing is the natural way of our body to remove irritation from our nose, or sternutation. So we were arguing whether it is safe to hold the sneeze? And what could possibly happen to our body if we hold our sneeze.
According to Dr. Woodall, an audiologist from University of Arkansas Medical Services:
“Prior to a sneeze, a significant amount of air pressure builds in the lungs in preparation of being forced through the nasal cavity to clear irritants out of the nasal passages,” Dr. Woodall says. “If the sneeze is held in by pinching the nose or holding the mouth closed, this pressurized air is forced back through the Eustachian tube and into the middle ear cavity.”
Holding our sneeze can result in hearing loss injury. The pressure builds from sneeze can damage our middle ear, inner ear and even a ruptured eardrum.
“This type of trauma to the membranous structures of the middle and inner ear has caused sudden severe sensorineural hearing loss,conductive hearing loss and even vertigo,” she says.
Other physical injuries that may result from holding a sneeze include
diaphragm injuries,
ruptured blood vessels in the eyes, and
ruptured or weakened blood vessels in the brain.
The best thing to do when you feel you need to sneeze is to simply let it out. Sneezing is our body's natural way of clearing our nose of bacteria and viruses. The best thing to do is cover your nose and mouth with tissue or on the crook of your arm to prevent the germs from spreading.
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