DO YOU ever feel yourself building up to a sneeze, your face scrunching up, your mouth opening, waiting for a thunderous ‘achoo’ sound…
Only for the urge to elude you as quickly as it came over you?
GettyIf the urge to sneeze passes by as quickly as it comes over you, there are a few things you can do[/caption]
There are few things more annoying than that awful half-sneeze feeling.
How to release a trapped sneeze has been the subject of many TikTok videos, where creators share bizarre ways they get their body to ‘sneeze on command’.
One app user Jess B. – who goes by @jessvibesonly – posted a tutorial on how she gets herself to sneeze using a piece of toilet paper.
She rolls the loo roll square into a cylinder shape, “small enough that I can squeeze it into my nostrils”.
She proceeds to do just that, sticking the tube into her nose and moving it up and down until she sneezes about a minute later.
Another user Tucie Tutorials had an even more unconventional hack to share.
The clip showed him opening his mouth super wide so he could push his index finger into the roof of his mouth – seconds later, he’s overtaken by a thunderous ‘achoo’.
“It works, trust,” he captioned the video.
Though these tricks seem to do the job the TikTokers in question, you might harbour some doubts about how legitimate they are.
But these ‘sneeze on command’ tricks might be more useful than you’d think.
Lauren Thayer, a registered nurse at Ohio-based Health Canal, told DailyMail.com why it might not be such a bad idea to stick some tissue up your schnoz.
From the ’tissue trick’ to looking at the sun, here are some bizarre ways you can get your body to sneeze when you really need to.
1. Stick some tissue up your nose
According to Lauren, wiggling a wad of tissue in your nose is not a bad way to go if you’re chasing a sneeze.
“Roll up a tissue so the end is pointy and insert it into your nose,” she suggested.
“This will stimulate the trigeminal nerve, sending a message to your brain that prompts a sneeze.”
The trigeminal nerve a large cranial nerve that’s important for sensation in your face. It sends a message to your brain to sneeze when different sections of it are stimulated by any irritant.
2. Touch the roof of your mouth
Similarly, touching the roof of your mouth could also elicit a sneeze response, Lauren said.
Your finger isn’t the only took you can use to do this – especially since viewers of the Tucie Tutorials video said they were scared of biting their finger when the sneeze takes hold.
You can also use your tongue to massage the roof of your mouth – this action can again stimulate your trigeminal nerve, which runs along the roof of your mouth.
According to Healthline, you might have to experiment with what spot will trigger a response for you.
But it advised you press the tip of your tongue to the top of your mouth and bring it back as far as possible.
3. Look at a bright light
There’s a reason many of us are taken over by a powerful sneeze when walking out into the bright sunlight.
It’s down to a phenomenon fittingly dubbed the ACHOO syndrome, which stands for autosomal dominant compulsive helio-ophthalmic outbursts.
While sneezing is typically triggered by the mucus membranes in your nose and throat getting irritated by particles, some people are are especially sensitive to bright light such as sunlight.
The condition can cause uncontrollable episodes of at least two or three sneezes in a row.
Also referred to the photic sneeze reflex, this medical mystery that seems to be a genetic condition has long puzzled experts.
If you’re one of those people who are doubles over in sneezes from a change in light intensity, looking at a bright light might help trigger one when the urge is eluding you.
4. Sniff some spice
Lauren said sniffing at some pepper or other spicy could help bring on a sneeze.
“Spices such as green pepper and black pepper contain piperine, which irritates the nose,” she explained.
“This can stimulate a sneeze by triggering the nerve endings as the nose tries to get rid of this irritant.”
5. Drink some fizz
Having a sip of a fizzy drink can also help unstick as stuck sneeze.
The carbon dioxide that created the bubbles can tickle your nostrils, so if you inhale or drink too much fizz it can cause you to sneeze, Healthline said.
6. Pluck a nose hair
Finally, plucking a nose hair might do the trick too.
It’s another one of those actions that can stimulate the trigeminal nerve.
But be careful not too pluck too many, as the lining of your nose can pretty sensitive and you could be putting yourself at risk of infection.
On the other end of the spectrum, doctors have warned that you should never stifle a sneeze after a man tore a giant hole in his throat.
Here are five horrific things that can happen when you suppress the urge.