Pressing your tongue firmly against the roof of your mouth can stop an incoming sneeze.

The sneeze reflex is primarily controlled by the trigeminal nerve, the largest cranial nerve responsible for sensation in the face. When the nasal lining is irritated, this nerve sends a signal to the medulla oblongata in the brainstem to initiate a sneeze. By pressing your tongue hard against the roof of your mouth, you stimulate the maxillary branch of the same nerve.This technique relies on the Gate Control Theory of pain, proposed by Ronald Melzack and Patrick Wall in 1965. The theory suggests that non-painful input, such as intense pressure, closes the nerve 'gates' to other sensory signals. In this case, the brain prioritizes the strong tactile pressure from the tongue over the tickling sensation in the nose.Neurologists often refer to this as sensory interference. Because the brain has a limited capacity to process simultaneous signals from the same nerve pathway, the intense pressure can effectively jam the signal. This prevents the motor neurons from triggering the sudden, involuntary contraction of the diaphragm and intercostal muscles.While not 100% effective for everyone, it is a recognized physiological hack used to suppress the sternutation reflex. Other similar methods include pinching the bridge of the nose or pressing on the philtrum, which is the area between the nose and upper lip. All these methods target the same trigeminal nerve pathways to interrupt the sneeze before it becomes an automatic physical response.