The most annoying thing when staying up late is uncontrollably sneezing, breaking the house's tranquility. The next moment, your mom will grab a bamboo pole, ready to scold you loudly! But once you fall asleep, strangely, there's no sneezing anymore. Hey, have you wondered why sneezing always misbehaves when you stay up late but silent when asleep? Today's article will help you better understand this phenomenon, maybe next time you stay up late, your mom will not catch you still awake!
Let’s check out Sneeze’s “resume” first
Sneezing is a physiological reflex behavior in humans and animals.
The sneezing process includes an itchy nose, rapid breathing, and involuntary opening of the mouth, followed by simultaneous expulsion of air from the nose and mouth, often accompanied by a sound like "achoo". Sometimes, sneezing also causes us to involuntarily close our eyes, as they fear being infected by bacteria in the sneeze.
The reason why we sneeze is because our noses need to regularly clean their "bedrooms". Every day, we breathe air that carries dust, pollen, and other particles, giving these irritants a chance to invade our noses. When this dust enters, the noses will begin “cleaning their rooms” to prevent invaders from taking over. Our nerve endings then send signals to their brains. Once the signal is received, the brain will trigger sneezing, causing muscles in our noses to contract and expel these "enemies". This process can allow our noses to comfortably reside in their little rooms again without our enemies’ bothering.
In sneezing’s personal resume, it often describes itself as being frequently disliked because it always appears in these situations:
Suddenly sneezing when people are staying up late and sneaking in playing on their phones.
Causing people to sneeze at important moments, leaving them in embarrassing situations.
Sneezing unintentionally while people are talking to someone, then forgetting what they wanted to say.
Figure 4: Sneezing while talking
Sneezing itself claims to be quite annoying, but it appears because sometimes we come into contact with allergens, or we may have been exposed to irritants in the environment too frequently. It could also be due to viral infections. Sneezing hasn't done anything wrong—it's just trying to help everyone eliminate germs and maintain a healthy state through its actions!
Why does mucus come out when sneezing?
Another thing that everyone probably hates is mucus.
Mucus is a viscous liquid secreted by the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses, and its primary function is to protect our respiratory tract. The main components of mucus include water, inorganic salts, absorbed dust, and other chemical substances. Mucus rarely appears in large amounts, but if it flies out unintentionally when you sneeze, it may indicate a cold, which leads to a large number of bacteria clogging the nasal cavity. When mucus increases, it is best to take appropriate medication. If there is no relevant rhinitis medicine available, you can blow your nose to relieve it appropriately.
Why don't we sneeze when we sleep?
We have already read Sneezing's resume, which tells us that it needs to consult with the brain, through nerve endings before sneezing. However, even our brains aren't always available; they need downtime too.
First, let's give a brief overview of human sleep stages. Sleep is divided into Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep and Non-Rapid Eye Movement (Non-REM) sleep. Non-REM sleep stages reduce eye movement frequency, allowing the brain to gradually enter a restful state. During this stage, we're easily awakened initially, then enter a light sleep state before progressing to deep sleep. Following this stage, we will enter the second stage: REM sleep. REM sleep lasts about 10 minutes, causing accelerated heart rate and highly active brain function, leading us into dreams. If you want to learn more about sleep stages, you can read our previous article on the subject.
After understanding the different sleep stages, let's discuss why we rarely sneeze while sleeping. When we enter sleep, especially deep sleep, our brains gradually enter a restful state, sensory inputs decrease, and muscles relax, preventing our noses from sneezing. If you notice yourself occasionally sneezing during sleep, it indicates you may not have entered deep sleep and are in a lighter sleep stage.
FYI:
- If you're sleeping and you hear someone else sneeze, it indicates that the other person is already awake!
- During sleep, sensations like yawning, going to the bathroom, and feeling hungry are also suppressed. So, if you experience these sensations while staying up late, your mom might also notice that you're not asleep!
What not to do when sneezing
You might say, then if you pinch your noses when you want to sneeze, no one will notice that you stay up late. Well, this may be a good approach, but I don't recommend it.
When you pinch your nose and close your mouth while sneezing, it can lead to airway pressure being 5-20 times higher than usual. Because the exits– your noses and mouths– are blocked, the pressure will transfer to your ears, eyes, or blood vessels. This situation may potentially cause throat ruptures, eardrum bleeding, and other illnesses.
On January 1, 2024, a study by Plaksin SA and Petrov ME indicated that improper sneezing techniques can cause fractures in the thyroid cartilage (which is one of the nine cartilages forming the larynx), leading to spontaneous pneumomediastinum (a
condition where air enters the connective tissue spaces of the mediastinum). "Fracture of the thyroid cartilage as a result of a sharp rapid increase in airway pressure during a sneeze with blocked nasal passages can be one of the rare causes of spontaneous pneumomediastinum. Avoid closing both nostrils at the same time when sneezing." (SA, ME, 2024) This conclusion tells us that the reason for this condition is that the patient pinched their nose while sneezing, resulting in a sudden increase in nasal pressure.
Therefore, pinching your nose while sneezing is not a good practice, and we should avoid closing both nostrils when sneezing!
It seems that the only way to avoid being caught by mom for staying up late is to go to bed early!
Can't stop sneezing! What shall I do?
The methods to stop sneezing depend on the underlying factors. If you are constantly exposed to airborne pollutants, you can wear a mask to prevent particles from entering your nasal passages. If you have allergic rhinitis, you should avoid excessive exposure to pollen and regularly use some treatments for rhinitis. If you still feel very itchy in your nose and have a lot of discharge, you can use saline solution to clean your nasal passages. This is a very effective method to relieve the discomfort caused by sneezing.
After reading this article, I'm sure everyone has already realized that how your mom knows you are not asleep while staying up late! So, to avoid getting scolded next time, it's better to put your phones away and go to sleep. Sufficient deep sleep can make our bodies healthier. Does anyone have other topics you'd like to read? Feel free to leave a comment!
Reference
Holland, Kimberly. “Why Do We Sneeze? Everything You Need to Know.” Healthline, 2017, www.healthline.com/health/why-do-we-sneeze. Accessed 12 July 2024.
MD, Laura van de Laar. “Sneezing: 10 Reasons, Causes, and Triggers.” Www.houstonent.com, 14 May 2022, www.houstonent.com/blog/sneezing-10-reasons-causes-and-triggers. Accessed 12 July 2024.
Marcin, Ashley. “Deep Sleep: Stages, Benefits, Requirements, Tips, and More.” Healthline, 26 July 2018, www.healthline.com/health/deep-sleep#Deep-sleep-stage.
Jacobson, Anne. “Is It Possible to Sneeze in Your Sleep?” GoodRx, GoodRx, 16 June 2022, www.goodrx.com/well-being/sleep/can-you-sneeze-in-your-sleep. Accessed 13 July 2024.
Larkin , Theresa, and Jessica Nealon. “2023: Hello Hay Fever – Why Pressing under Your Nose Could Stop a Sneeze but Why You Shouldn’t - University of Wollongong – UOW.” Www.uow.edu.au, 26 Oct. 2023, www.uow.edu.au/media/2023/hello-hay-fever--why-pressing-under-your-nose-could-stop-a-sneeze-but-why-youshouldnt.php#:~:text=Should%20you%20stop%20it%3F. Accessed 13 July 2024.
Plaksin SA, Petrov ME. [Thyroid cartilage fracture following sneezing as a cause of spontaneous pneumomediastinum]. Khirurgiia. 2024 (4):146-150. DOI: 10.17116/hirurgia2024041146. PMID: 38634596.
Comments