Contents:
- Medical Video: How to Treat a Perforated Ear Drum | Ear Problems
- Why are we sneezing?
- Danger to hold sneezing for health
- As much as possible don't hold your sneeze
Medical Video: How to Treat a Perforated Ear Drum | Ear Problems
Certain situations and conditions may have forced you to hold back sneezing even though you were on the edge. For example, in the middle of an important meeting with the client or when being solemn in the house of worship.Eits, wait a minute. Even though you might try to maintain modesty in front of other people, the habit of holding back sneezing can actually endanger your health, you know!
Why are we sneezing?
Sneezing is a self-defense reflex for removing foreign objects (dust, insects, chilli or pepper powder, flower pollen, rolled fiber cloth, etc.) that we breathe through the nose so as not to enter the body and interfere with your breathing. Although it sounds simple, this process turns out to be quite complex.
When foreign particles pass through the nasal cavity and perch on the nose hairs, nerve cells will convey a signal of "attack" to the brain. The brain then commands the body's immune system to quickly produce histamine to make the itchy nose tingle while sending signals to the muscles in the throat and lungs to expel air through the throat. The air pressure that comes out is called sneezing.
According to Erich Voigt, M.D., a clinical professor from the ENT department at NYU Langone Health, sneezing that is too strong can also make the mucus come out along with the nuisance particles in the nose.
Danger to hold sneezing for health
Sneezing functions to remove high-pressure air from the lungs so that the airways remain open and not clogged with the incoming foreign particles.
Holding the sneeze can make the pressure that should come out again through the sinus cavity and trapped in the body, into the head and chest cavity. Holding back sneezing can cause a 5-fold increase in pressure in the body to risk damaging organs.
Trapped air pressure can go back up into the inner ear canal and can cause the eardrum to rupture. According to Ahmad R. Sedaghat, MD, Ph.D., an assistant professor of the ENT department at Harvard Medical School, holding back sneezing can even break the structure of the inner ear which causes permanent hearing loss.
According to a study published in the British Medical Journal, a 34-year-old man in England tried to hold back sneezing by closing his mouth and squeezing his nose. As a result, he felt a strange sensation in the throat, his neck swelled, to complain of difficulty swallowing and talking. In fact, the man can only receive food with a nasogastric tube.
In rare cases, holding back sneezing can cause an aneurysm to rupture. Aneurysms are bubbles in the walls of arteries (vessels that carry blood from the heart throughout the body). Enlarged aneurysms can rupture at any time and cause bleeding, even death.
As much as possible don't hold your sneeze
Holding back sneezing by normal people is so dangerous, especially if done by people who have a history of previous health problems. Examples are people with abnormal blood vessels, a history of sinus surgery, an injury to the head, neck, or chest. These people will be more at risk of experiencing broken blood vessels when trying to hold back sneezing.
Ever experienced wanting to sneeze but stop suddenly? Relax, you can stimulate your sensory nerves by pressing the area above your lips just below your nose or rubbing your nose. As long as it's not too hard.
Don't forget to follow the rules when sneezing by pointing the mouth to the inner arm or the elbow fold, not closing the mouth with both palms. You can also cover your nose and mouth with a tissue or handkerchief, then immediately throw it in the trash and wash your hands thoroughly afterwards to prevent transmission of the disease.
