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What happens if you hold in a sneeze?

The short answer

The pressure gets trapped inside you, and in rare cases it can damage an eardrum. The safe way is to let the sneeze out into a tissue or your elbow.

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Holding in a sneeze might feel polite, but it can hurt you. All that air has to go somewhere.

Why do we sneeze?

A sneeze is how your body blasts dust and pollen out of your nose. The air bursts out of your nose and mouth with great force.

Illustration from the video: The air bursts out of your nose and mouth with great force.

What if you hold it in?

Some people pinch their nose and close their mouth to stop it. Then the pressure gets trapped inside you. It can push air toward your ears, and in rare cases damage an eardrum.

Illustration from the video: Then the pressure gets trapped inside you.

Illustration from the video: It can push air toward your ears, and in rare cases damage an eardrum.

So what should you do?

Just let it out, into a tissue or your elbow. If your ear or throat hurts after holding one in, see a doctor.

Illustration from the video: Just let it out, into a tissue or your elbow.

Illustration from the video: If your ear or throat hurts after holding one in, see a doctor.

Illustration from the video: The pressure tore a hole in his throat, but doctors helped him heal.

One more thing

A man in Britain once held in a sneeze with his nose and mouth shut. The pressure tore a hole in his throat, but doctors helped him heal.

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