How to Make Yourself Sneeze When It Just Won’t Come Out
When you feel a sneeze coming, you build all that anticipation: you shut up, your elbow is up and ready, you have a tissue handy, and then…nothing. Chih is stuck there.
What can you do to get it out? When you really need to clear your nasal passage and get rid of that annoying tingle, you can make your body sneeze. The secret is to do your best to trigger the trigeminal nerve (more on that below). Here are a few tricks to try the next time you need to get back the sneeze you deserve.
Glue the napkin to your nose
The goal here is to stimulate the trigeminal nerve, which sends a message to the brain that it’s time to sneeze. To do this, fold one side of the napkin into a dot. Then gently bring the pointed tip to the back of one nostril and wiggle it a little until you feel a slight tickle. Make sure you use a light touch and don’t push the tissue too far into your nostril. As a rule, sticking things too far up the nose is called “not good” by many experts.
Plucking hair from the nostrils
Another way to stimulate the trigeminal nerve is to pluck the hair near the nostrils. (Maybe it’s time to trim anyway, right?) Be careful with the tweezers, as the area inside your nostrils is sensitive.
If plucking your nostril hairs doesn’t help, try pulling your eyebrow hairs one at a time. This is not a cosmetic suggestion – again, plucking is an attempt to stimulate the trigeminal nerve.
tickle under the nose
If you don’t want to plug your nose with a tissue, just tickling your nostrils may be enough. For optimal tickling, try getting a fake feather.
Look at a bright light if you have a light sneeze reflex.
Have you ever sneezed while looking at the sun? If so, you may have a light sneeze reflex (PSR). Unfortunately, this trick won’t work for everyone, because light sneezing is hereditary – if one parent is affected, their child has a 50 percent chance of having the reflex too.
If you’re a photic sneezer, try calling it out by suddenly looking into a bright light. Just make sure you don’t look directly at the sun, which can seriously damage your eyes.
Massage your nose
Again, it’s all about getting a response from the proverbial trigeminal nerve. Gently rub the bridge of your nose with your hands, pressing down or pinching slightly. Experiment with any movement to get the ticklish feeling. While you’re here, consider this technique to help clear your sinuses .
Use the roof of your mouth
The trigeminal nerve runs along the palate, so you can use your tongue to try and coax the nerve into sending that coveted sneeze signal to the brain. Experiment with light movements of the tip of the tongue up and down the roof of the mouth.
Smell something strong
Some people are naturally sensitive to fragrances, so the smell of a particularly strong perfume may be enough to get the job done. Another idea is to lightly sniff the spice cabinet. Some compounds in common spices can irritate mucous membranes, such as piperine in black pepper or capsaicin in hot peppers. Be careful not to inhale anything, of course.
Have a fizzy drink
As refreshing as soda is, your brain may perceive soda as a form of mild pain . In response to certain pain receptors on the tongue, some people may sneeze. And if that doesn’t work, at least you enjoyed a good drink.
If all else fails: eat chocolate?
According to my research, some people sneeze from dark chocolate. Some scientists believe that this is a response similar to the light reflex of a sneeze. Worth a try.
Don’t be discouraged if none of these methods work for you right away. There are many variables at play, such as your sensitivity to stimuli or the level of nasal congestion at the moment. Remember to always exercise caution when it comes to inhaling substances or stuffing objects up or around your nose. Oh, and if you’re already sneezing, try tilting your head back to make sure the sneeze comes out. Good luck.