How To Make Yourself Sneeze Easily
Sneezing or sternutation is an involuntary release of air from the nose. It happens when your brain’s trigeminal nerve, the nerve responsible for your face’s movements and sensations, senses irritants such as dirt, pollutants, bacteria and viruses in your nose. Sneezing can help clear your nasal passages and keep your respiratory system healthy.
However, sometimes when you have the urge to sneeze, and nothing happens. This can make you feel very irritated, frustrated and uncomfortable. The longer you go without sneezing, the worse the feeling gets. But there are tricks you can use to have a good sneeze.
Here are 10 easy ways to make yourself sneeze.
1. Use A Feather You can trick your nose’s defense mechanisms and trigger a sneeze by simply brushing underneath the nose to create a tickling sensation. Use a fake feather to brush the underneath of your nose and let the tickle take over. Do not use real feathers because feather dust can cause breathing problems in some people.
2. Sniff Spices Spices like cinnamon, pepper, cumin, and coriander can trigger a sneeze. These spices contain strong flavor which easily causes irritation to the nerve endings located in the mucous membrane inside your nose. Try opening a jar of spices and taking a gentle sniff. Be careful not to inhale too much of these spices, especially pepper, as this can cause pain and burning sensation in your nose.
3. Use A Tissue Twist up a tissue and wiggle in the back of your nose to bring on a sneeze. You can change the tissue if it becomes soft due to the moisture. This action will stimulate the trigeminal nerve to cause you to sneeze. Be gentle and do not sticking the tissue too far up into your nostril as it may cause pain or become stuck.
4. Sniff A Fizzy Drink Your nose is more sensitive to carbon dioxide, so sniffing the carbon dioxide from carbonated drinks can actually irritate your nose and stimulate sneezing. Hold a cup of carbonated drink right under your nose and inhale through your nose. Make sure that the carbonated drink is really fizzy if you want an instant effect.
5. Take A Deep Breath Of Cold Air Inhaling cold air irritates the lining of your nose and stimulates the trigeminal nerve. As a result of these, you may begin to sneeze almost instantly. Go to a cold area and take in some deep breaths of cool air. If it's not cold enough outside, try opening your freezer and breathe in the cold air.
6. Sniff A Strong Perfume A strong perfume can irritate your nose and make you sneeze. Do not directly inhale the perfume particles and never spray the perfume directly into your nose because this action can cause burning inside your nose, cough, or even choke temporarily. Instead, spray the perfume in the air and let the scent waft to you.
7. Use The Tip Of Your Tongue You can also trigger a sneeze by massaging the roof of your mouth with your tongue. This action will stimulate the trigeminal nerve that runs along the top of your mouth. Try to lightly run the tip of your tongue back and forth along the roof of your mouth. You may have to do this several times until you find the exact spot that triggers a sneeze.
8. Chew Peppermint Gum Chewing peppermint gum is a popular way to bring forth the sneeze reflex. Much like spices, the strong peppermint flavor can irritate your nose and trigger a sneeze.
9. Look At A Bright Light Weird but true: Some people have a hereditary condition named photic sneezing and can sneeze just by looking at a bright light, especially strong sunlight. This only works in about a third of people.
10. Pluck A Nose Hair Even thinking about this may start to make your nose itch. Plucking a nose hair can also lead to stimulation of the trigeminal nerve and can trigger a sneeze. Simply pluck a few nose hairs using a pair of clean tweezers. Be gentle as the skin in the nostrils is extremely sensitive.
