Don't Hold Nose And Close Mouth When Sneezing, Doctors Warn

If the weather wasn't so unseasonably and unreasonably rubbish, there'd be a lot of pollen averse people fighting back sneezes at the moment.

When you feel that urge to sneeze come on, often with very little warning, the temptation is to block off your nose and mouth in a bid to protect those around you from your projectile spittle.

But while this might be a courteous thing to do, it can also be very dangerous.

Pexels/Brandon Nickerson

Writing in the excellently named BMJ Case Report Snap, crackle and pop: when sneezing leads to crackling in the neck, docs document 'a rare spontaneous perforation of the pyriform sinus after a forceful sneeze, leading to cervical subcutaneous emphysema and pneumomediastinum'.

Basically, a 34-year-old ruptured the back of his throat after pinching his nose and covering his mouth during a sneeze, leave him in considerable pain and with difficulty speaking or swallowing.

He also developed a popping sensation in his neck, which immediately swelled up after the sneeze.

Doctors could hear the popping and cracking from his neck to his ribcage, indicating that air bubbles had found their way into the deep tissue and muscle of his chest.

Due to the risk of severe complications, he subsequently had to spend a week in hospital, where he was fed by a drip and given intravenous antibiotics until his pain had subsided.

All 'cause of one sneeze.

According to Science Daily, the authors warned in the 2018 report: "Halting sneezing via blocking [the] nostrils and mouth is a dangerous manoeuvre, and should be avoided.

"It may lead to numerous complications, such as pseudomediastinum [air trapped in the chest between both lungs], perforation of the tympanic membrane [perforated eardrum], and even rupture of a cerebral aneurysm [ballooning blood vessel in the brain]."

On top of this, you also risk damaging blood vessels in your eyes or nose, injuring your diaphragm or even breaking your ribs.

Basically, your body wants to expel all that mucus with great force, so don't fight it.

Pexels/Mojca J

Clearly though, we're in the midst of pandemic, with Covid-19 transmitted through airborne droplets.

As such, you shouldn't stop blocking your sneezes completely - just don't entirely close your facial orifices.

Rather, you should get a tissue out sharpish and catch that sneeze, before giving your hands and nearby surfaces a good clean.

Easy sneezy.

Topics: Interesting, Health

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey