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This morning at four o clock, I literally woke up sneezing.  Believe me that there is nothing that wakes you up more abruptly than sneezing.  This gave me time to do a little research about sneezing because falling asleep again after being awaken so abruptly is quite a difficult task.  

Why do we sneeze?

Sneezing is a reflex.  If anything irritates the nose, like dust pollen or any other pollutants, this infiltrate the nose lining, and the brain sends out a signal to get rid of it. This triggers a deep breath that gets held in the lungs. The tongue pushes against the roof of the mouth,  forcing breath to come out fast through the nose at an amazing 20 mph. When you sneeze there is about 2000 to 2500 bacteria-filled droplets leaving  from your nose and mouth. So if you sneeze it is important to sneeze into a tissue or something to catch all these droplets.  

Is sneezing good for you?  

Yes, sneezing is good for you.  Sneezing keeps germs and other pollutants from entering your bodily system.  Sneezing plays an important role in keeping your body healthy and pollutant free by clearing your nose of bacteria and viruses.

                                                       

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Why do we sneeze more when we have a cold?

We sneeze more when we have a cold, because our nose linings are irritated and can be swollen.  

Is it bad for you to try an hold back a sneeze?

                                                          

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When you pinch your nose or keep your mouth closed, the pressurized air is forced back through the Eustachian tube and into the middle ear cavity.  There is a slight possibility of some hearing loss, but it is a minimal possibility.  

                                         

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Did you know that there is a record in place for sneezing the most?

Believe it or not, but Donna Griffiths keeps the record for the longest sneezing fit ever.  She started sneezing on 13 January 1981 and sneezed an estimated one million times in the first 365 days.  She achieved her first sneeze free day on 26 July 1983.  Day 977.  That is an average of 1023 sneezes per day, and must have been the most terrible experience ever.  

Interesting facts about sneezing 

• You can not sleep while you sneeze
• The force of a sneeze can change the rhythm of your heartbeat
• Once you sneeze there is no way to stop it
• One single sneeze can spread germs up to 5 ft.
•  Sneezing could be sexually induced.  This phenomenon is characterized by sneezing during orgasm or sexual arousal. (If you want to read more about this please find the link in the references) 

Why do people say "Bless you" when you sneeze?

There are quite a few speculations where this term came from; but we all have the tendency to say "Bless you" when someone sneezes.  

A long time ago people believe that it was necessary to protect their souls when sneezing as they believed that you could sneeze your soul out of your body.  

A second theory is when Pope Gregory the Great blessed everyone who sneezed around him. He lived in the time when many people were killed by the plague in the 590's. He had an idea that the blessing would make people healthy and keep them from getting the plague. 

Lastly but also the funniest of all three, was the time when a group of people believed that people actually died for a brief moment when they sneezed.  By just uttering the words "bless you" apparently encouraged the heart to start beating again.   

References:

Should you wish to read more about this topic please do so on the following links:

http://www.everydayhealth.com/allergy-pictures/why-we-sneeze-and-other-fun-facts-about-sneezing.aspx

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/14/sneezing-facts-didnt-know_n_4936611.html

http://www.webmd.com/allergies/features/11-surprising-sneezing-facts

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sneeze

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexually_induced_sneezing

https://www.theguardian.com/notesandqueries/query/0,5753,-2218,00.html

I hope you enjoyed reading about this topic.  

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