It is dangerous to hold a sneeze

Question

A doctor breaks down whether it's bad to hold in a sneeze, including the potentially dangerous side effects, and explains how to sneeze without spreading germs. This article claims that holding your sneeze can cause your chest to hurt, rupture your eardrum, cause an ear infection, burst a blood vessel, and more. The article cites the Cleveland Clinic which does have an article with similar information (https://health.clevelandclinic.org/dont-stifle-that-sneeze-you-could-get-hurt)

They are also several other articles including https://www.healthline.com/health/holding-in-a-sneeze

https://www.health.com/condition/cold/is-it-just-me-holding-in-sneeze-bad

https://intermountainhealthcare.org/blogs/answers-to-silly-health-questions-and-myths

Comments

This claim is true, it is not advised by health professionals to hold in a sneeze. When the body expels a sneeze, there is a lot of pressure being forced into your face. Which is why for safety purposes, people should not attempt to hold them in. An article from the University of Wollongong states that closing your nose or mouth while sneezing “increases the pressure in the airways at least five to twenty times more than a normal sneeze.” With this in mind, holding in a sneeze essentially prevents all of the pressure from escaping, which can lead to damage, because the pressure is forced into other areas.  

Sneezes are much more powerful than people may realize, as indicated by the Cleveland Clinic, a sneeze “can travel 70 miles an hour.” Which is faster than most legal freeway speed limits. Since a large majority of the pressure from a sneeze is forced onto your eyes, people with certain eye conditions such as “glaucoma” are more susceptible to damage if they hold in a sneeze. That being said, there are “no reported cases of death due to holding in a sneeze.” However, sneezes can cause damage in other ways. According to ENT and Allergy, there are a couple of reasons why preventing a sneeze might be harmful: chest pain, ruptured eardrum(s), burst blood vessel(s), or a potential ear infection.  

Whether you are trying to prevent your sneeze from making a sound, or attempting to be polite, it is better to allow sneezes. People should accept their body’s natural systems without suppressing them. Not to mention, sneezes can also help to expel harmful irritants or viruses, so it’s better to let them go.

Sources:
https://www.uow.edu.au/media/2023/hello-hay-fever--why-pressing-under-your-nose-could-stop-a-sneeze-but-why-youshouldnt.php#:~:text=Should%20you%20stop%20it%3F,more%20than%20a%20normal%20sneeze.

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/dont-stifle-that-sneeze-you-could-get-hurt

https://www.entandallergy.com/blog/2022/april/how-bad-is-it-really-to-hold-in-a-sneeze-/

Answer 1

This article is well backed up and is filled with truthful information.

1.) Basic Sneeze Facts: Sneezing expels droplets at up to 100 miles per hour (American Lung Association citation). Purpose is to clear irritants from nose and throat. Can expel tens of thousands of droplets

1. Primary Research:

• American Journal of Rhinology & Allergy (May 2019): Verified claim about 20x more pressure when holding in sneezes
• Case Reports in Neurological Medicine (January 2015): Documented cases of aneurysms related to forceful sneezes
• American Journal of Otolaryngology (September-October 2021): Case report on laryngeal fractures from violent sneezing

2. Medical Expert:

• Dr. Jason Abramowitz, ENT and Allergy Associates
• Medical Review: Dr. Jennifer Logan, MD, MPH

Comments

I agree that your conclusion is correct, it is bad to hold in a sneeze and your information is all correct. However you did use any sources to back it up. You have a lot of good information but there is nothing in your claim that supports your statements. I would advise that next time you link your sources for others to fact check as well so we know where your information came from. I would also use a few other sources that prove your main source.

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Nice work - but the hyperlinks are missing. Please include source hyperlinks next time. Thanks!

Answer 2

According to Health.com there are a lot of risks associated with holding in a sneeze. A list of the potential things that could occur include, " a ruptured eardrum, rupture of superficial blood vessels to the eye or nose, throat or neck pain, and less commonly, rupture of a brain aneurysm or rib fractures. " ( Health.com ). However, according to Dr. Erich Voigt " The risk associated with holding in a sneeze is very low " ( Health.com ). So yes it could be potentially dangerous to hold in a sneeze, however the chance of any consequences is incredibly low. 

https://www.health.com/condition/cold/is-it-just-me-holding-in-sneeze-bad#:~:text=Karis%20Cho%2C%20MD%2C%20is%20a,brain%20aneurysm%20or%20rib%20fractures.

Answer 3

This is true, because generally holding in a sneeze isn’t just uncomfortable, it can actually be risky. Sneezing is your body’s way of clearing out irritants from your nose and throat, sometimes at speeds reaching up to 100 miles per hour. When you stop a sneeze, all that forceful pressure doesn’t just disappear; it stays in your body, which can cause problems.

For example, holding in a sneeze by blocking your nose and mouth can lead to ear infections, a ruptured eardrum, or, in very rare cases, even a tear in your throat. One case documented a man who held in a sneeze this way and ended up with a hole in his throat, causing air to leak into his neck. This required medical treatment to heal. Additionally, holding in a sneeze could cause blood vessels in your eyes or nose to burst, which might lead to minor bruising or nosebleeds.

https://www.entandallergy.com/blog/2022/april/how-bad-is-it-really-to-hold-in-a-sneeze-/

Answer 4

From reading the first two articles (Healthline and Clevland Clinic), it's clear that there are negative consequences to holding in your sneeze. Both articles are reputable sources, and both provide similar reasoning on why it's not a good idea to hold in your sneeze. For example, holding in your sneeze can potentially cause damage to your eardrums, cause problems with your sinuses and possibly, though it's rare, damage blood vessels. So overall it's good to let yourself sneeze.

Another source that backs up the other two: https://www.health.com/condition/cold/is-it-just-me-holding-in-sneeze-bad

Answer 5

This fact seems to be reliable and truthful. When researching it at first glance there are many sources that back it up coming from professors all the way to medical professionals. There are also good main facts from the original article. The Cleveland Clinic themselves are reliable and cite their sources as well, including various solutions as well.

 Some facts from other sources include:

https://www.sharp.com/health-news/is-it-bad-to-hold-in-your-sneeze

Dr. Corinne Yarbrough an internal medical doctor that works with Sharp Rees-Stealy, states that,

 "holding in your sneeze forces high-pressure air into the Eustachian tubes — located behind your cheekbones — and could result in a ruptured eardrum." 

and “When you sneeze, the reflex first causes tightening of the muscles of the throat, eyes and mouth, followed by relaxation of the throat while the chest muscles contract.”

https://intermountainhealthcare.org/blogs/answers-to-silly-health-questions-and-myths

While this one is one of the sources in the original article, Intermountain Healthcare itself is another reliable organization. 

Erik Berger, MD, states various facts such as, 

"If you do hold in a sneeze, depending on where you catch it you could cause trauma to the eardrums if you're congested or you have fluid in your ears."

Answer 6

Yes, holding in a sneeze can be dangerous. Sneezing is a reflex which removes debris from our airways. This debris is dislodged and removed by air traveling around 100 mph. The average person builds around 0.03 psi when inhaling, as per Healthline. A sneeze builds the pressure up to 1 psi which if not expelled can cause damage to and around the respiratory system. Common symptoms from holding back a sneeze include ruptured blood vessels, ruptured eardrums, and in rare cases, injuries such as broken ribs or brain aneurysms are possible. The article by Cleveland Health Clinic includes these injuries as well as others.

https://www.healthline.com/health/holding-in-a-sneeze#summary

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/sneezing

Answer 7

The claim “it is dangerous to hold a sneeze” is true! The four linked articles do indeed verify the claim that holding a sneeze is bad for you, the description “dangerous” may be a slight exaggerated description of the negative impacts, however, as all four articles state that it is highly unlikely that death will occur from holding a sneeze, and one even mentioning that there (as of then) was no record of a death due to it. The most reliable article was one by CleveLand Clinic, a nationally recognized research center that is a known reliable source. The other sources reference the one from Clevelandclinic.org and are considerably more biased in their descriptions and word choice, however they do back up the main claim and are decently reliable. The article suggests that holding in a sneeze has potential to cause a variety of issues, including: eardrum damage, sinus issues/infections, ruptured blood vessels, and pressure to eyes. Most all these are caused by the pressure of holding the sneeze or the mucus entering somewhere else. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/dont-stifle-that-sneeze-you-could-get-hurt