When You Hold Your Sneeze

 Hold your sneeze, or cross your legs and hope for the best?

Have you ever felt a sharp ear pressure or pain after holding in a sneeze? That's one of the more common signs that the pressure is affecting the Eustachian tubes and middle ear.

When you hold in a sneeze, the air and pressure that would normally be expelled through your nose and mouth are redirected back into your airways and surrounding structures.

Forcefully suppressing a sneeze can cause injuries because sneezes generate surprisingly high pressure that can cause:

Ruptured eardrums or damage to the middle ear

Burst small blood vessels in the eyes, nose, or face

Sinus injuries

Throat injuries

Aggravation of existing conditions such as weakened blood vessels

However, most of the time, nothing serious happens. You might experience:

Temporary discomfort or pressure in your head, ears, or chest

A feeling of fullness in your ears

Watery eyes

Mild dizziness

A sneeze is your body's way of clearing irritants from the nasal passages, so it's generally healthier to let it happen. If you're in a situation where sneezing openly isn't ideal, it's better to sneeze into a tissue or the crook of your elbow rather than pinching your nose and closing your mouth completely.

Fun fact: your eyes don't pop out if you sneeze with them open. That's a common myth.