Stuff You Should Know How Sneezing Works
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Mar 20, 2026 Why do humans and even lizards sneeze? This one explores the brain’s sneeze center, the body’s explosive reflex mechanics, and the many kinds of rhinitis behind it. It also gets into sunlight sneezes, weird triggers like full stomachs and plucked hairs, how far droplets travel, and the strange history of saying bless you.
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Why Sneezing Feels So Violent
- Sneezing recruits many muscles at once to build chest pressure and blast air out through the mouth and nose.
- Josh Clark and Charles Bryant say vocal cords clamp shut, the diaphragm drives release, and the spray can hit roughly 100 miles per hour.
The Fisherman Who Helped Prove The Sneeze Center
- Doctors confirmed a human sneeze center after a fisherman suffered a lesion near the lateral medulla and stopped sneezing on one side.
- Capsaicin made his nose burn and run, but it would not trigger a sneeze in the affected nostril.
Why Sneezing Is Not Just About Allergies
- Sneezing has many triggers beyond colds and pollen, because several forms of rhinitis irritate nasal tissue in different ways.
- Josh Clark and Charles Bryant mention occupational exposure, hormone shifts, certain drugs, and age-related gland atrophy.