Is Holding In A Sneeze Dangerous?

They say to do one thing every day that scares you, but can we suggest you don’t make that holding in a sneeze? From rupturing your windpipe to puffing up your face, holding in a sneeze can be dangerous to the unlucky few.

Fortunately, that whole thing about your eyes popping out of your head remains – at time of writing – an urban legend.

Holding in a sneeze: torn windpipe

Hay fever season is a rough time for people with allergies. Your eyes water, your throat tickles, and you just can’t stop sneezing. Those symptoms were niggling at one man while driving who – deciding it was better to keep it in – opted for pinching his nose and closing his mouth instead of sneezing. Understandable to want to keep your eyes open while driving, but the decision brought on a very unpleasant side effect.

Shortly after keeping in the sneeze, the driver began feeling severe pain in his neck and experienced swelling. By the time he arrived at the emergency department, there was a crackling noise known as crepitus audible in his neck, and an X-ray revealed surgical emphysema – a traumatic injury that leaks air under the skin. The cause? A tear in his windpipe , and it’s thought to be the first-known report of such a tear being caused by holding in a sneeze.

Holding in a sneeze: Hamman’s sign

Another case of crepitus post-holding in a sneeze involved a 34-year-old man holding his nose and mouth to prevent a sneeze and feeling a “popping sensation” in his neck. Soon after, swallowing became painful and he experienced a change of voice, so he sought medical advice. Doctors could hear Hamman’s sign, a crackling that can occur when the heart beats against tissue filled with air. They subsequently ordered scans that revealed the man had ruptured the back of his neck.

"Halting sneeze via blocking nostrils and mouth is a dangerous maneuver and should be avoided," wrote the case study authors. "It may lead to numerous complications such as pneumomediastinum, perforation of the tympanic membrane, and even rupture of cerebral aneurysm."

Holding in a sneeze: cheek fracture

Holding in a sneeze can also worsen existing injuries, such as in the case of a 38-year-old who tried to hold in a sneeze only for their right cheek to puff up . It turned out they had been walking around with an undiagnosed fracture of the right maxillary sinus, causing subcutaneous emphysema of the face.

These case studies are rare outcomes of holding in a sneeze, but they demonstrate that it can do some damage. It’s perhaps unsurprising that holding in a sneeze can be dangerous given, as The Conversation reports, they can force air out of your body at speeds of up to 56 kilometers per hour (35 miles per hour).

Covering a sneeze? Sure. Holding one in? Don't go there.

And while we're on the topic of strange neck injuries, ever noticed how some brass instrument musicians have necks that bulge like a bullfrog's ?

A ll “explainer” articles are confirmed by fact checkers to be correct at time of publishing. Text, images, and links may be edited, removed, or added to at a later date to keep information current.

The content of this article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.