Holding in a sneeze can rupture your eardrums or cause serious internal injuries.

When you sneeze, your body generates a significant amount of pressure to expel irritants at speeds up to 100 miles per hour. A study published in the journal BMJ Case Reports in 2018 documented a 34-year-old man who ruptured the back of his throat by pinching his nose and closing his mouth during a sneeze. This action forces the pressurized air into the Eustachian tubes, which connect the throat to the middle ear.Research indicates that the pressure in the upper airways during a suppressed sneeze can reach levels 5 to 24 times higher than those recorded during a normal sneeze. This extreme pressure can lead to various medical emergencies, including pseudomediastinum, a condition where air is trapped in the chest between the lungs. It can also cause the rupture of cerebral aneurysms, which are ballooning blood vessels in the brain.Beyond internal injuries, the sudden pressure spike can cause small blood vessels in the eyes or nose to burst. In rare cases, the force has been known to cause rib fractures or damage the diaphragm. Medical professionals from institutions like the University of Leicester NHS Trust emphasize that while these injuries are rare, the physics of the trapped air makes them a very real risk. They advise that the safest way to sneeze is to let the air escape freely while practicing proper hygiene.