Naked Science Forum

Life Sciences => Physiology & Medicine => Topic started by: Qing on 10/06/2003 12:59:22

Title: Why do we sneeze?
Post by: Qing on 10/06/2003 12:59:22
Why do we sneeze? And why do we sneeze not only when we have a cold?
When we sneezing,we sometimes have itching feeling in our nose,why is that?
Can anybody help me please? It will be great!
Title: Re: Why do we sneeze?
Post by: jdelgado on 10/06/2003 17:30:26
Here's what I found:

http://194.128.19.86/pages/quizes/wallanswers/sneeze.html

also:

http://www.smarterkids.com/rescenter/library/articles/how_come/hc030100.asp?redir=true
Title: Re: Why do we sneeze?
Post by: cuso4 on 10/06/2003 18:11:52
Great explanation in the two links!

And welcome to the forum, Qing and jdlgado.

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Title: Re: Why do we sneeze?
Post by: Quantumcat on 10/06/2003 22:30:59
Guess I'm too late, but I was going to say you sneeze to get rid of a foreign substance from the nasal passage, whether a bit of dust, pollen or whatever. You close your eyes when you sneeze because the pressure you build up would be enough to blow them out. (or so I've heard)

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Title: Re: Why do we sneeze?
Post by: cuso4 on 11/06/2003 08:00:57
Is it also true that the nose and eyes are some how connected? This explains why sometimes you have tears coming out of your eyes when you sneeze?

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Title: Re: Why do we sneeze?
Post by: Qing on 11/06/2003 10:11:19
Thank you for helping me.[:D] I've been sneezing madly for nearly one week,[:(] and that's what causes me to think why people sneeze.
I don't seem to have got any cold or hay fever but sneeze.
Is it right that there are capillary networks on the very surface of lining inside the nose, and what's why sometimes when you blow your nose or even sneezing will cause some kind of bleeding?

Qing
Title: Re: Why do we sneeze?
Post by: cuso4 on 11/06/2003 12:38:54
Qing, are you allergic to anything? At this time of year, if you continue to sneeze you probably have hay fever, even if you don't want to admit it.

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Title: Re: Why do we sneeze?
Post by: Quantumcat on 11/06/2003 13:24:55
Yup, you're right about the bleeding.

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Title: Re: Why do we sneeze?
Post by: nilmot on 11/06/2003 13:35:45
Angel, I think the nose, eyes and tear thing Chris had already explained that on the 'Tears' topic.

Tom
Title: Re: Why do we sneeze?
Post by: Qing on 11/06/2003 14:02:10
The only thing I know that I am allergic to is iodine, but that's only when I actually use it on my skin.[:(] However I do have some problems with my nose,e.g.rhinitis.
By the way,Angel,have you finished all your exams?

Qing
Title: Re: Why do we sneeze?
Post by: cuso4 on 11/06/2003 14:49:27
Nope! Still got 2 maths papers left. One on Friday and the other on Tuesday.

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Title: Re: Why do we sneeze?
Post by: Ians Daddy on 12/06/2003 21:54:32
Is it true that you die for a second when you sneeze? I've heard that for a split second, your entire body shuts down as it would at death. Someone stated that it was the closest to death that we ever are without dying.
Is that valid?
Title: Re: Why do we sneeze?
Post by: Donnah on 13/06/2003 17:56:31
From an experiential point of view, sneezing feels nothing like my near death experience did.
Title: Re: Why do we sneeze?
Post by: mm on 23/06/2003 10:28:23
I once saw a show on TV showing incredible things. One man was trying to sqeeze milk from the hole in his eye as far as he could. He eventually got to 3 metres ish. That was  mad though, i think.
Title: Re: Why do we sneeze?
Post by: cuso4 on 23/06/2003 13:29:16
There is a specie of lizard that can shoot blood out from its eyes to scare off predators or something.

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Title: Re: Why do we sneeze?
Post by: chris on 23/06/2003 15:32:00
quote:
Originally posted by mm

I once saw a show on TV showing incredible things. One man was trying to sqeeze milk from the hole in his eye as far as he could. He eventually got to 3 metres ish. That was  mad though, i think.



Hi mm, welcome to the forum.

Nice thought - firing milk from your eyes. Sounds even more bizarre than Angel's lizard (which I've not heard of, perhaps someone can enlighten us...)

Anyway, yes, this milk story highlights the anatomy of your eyes / nose. Tears produced by the lacrimal glands run across the eye and down 'plug holes' on the eyelids at the corners of the eyes closest to the nose.

The tears collect in a lacrimal sac (a dilatation of the duct below the eye) and then drain down the nasolacrimal duct to the nose. This is why your nose runs when you cry. Conversely, when you sneeze, or blow your nose hard, the pressure wave pushes the tears back in the opposite direction and they wash into your eyes, making them run.

Chris

"I never forget a face, but in your case I'll make an exception"
 - Groucho Marx
Title: Re: Why do we sneeze?
Post by: Qing on 24/06/2003 10:15:12
that explains why sometimes when you sneeze during eating you might have some unpleasant experience of which some food granuales enter you nose. that's really awful![xx(]
by the way, my sneeze is better now[:)] but still on hay fever tablet.
thanks everyone.[:D]

Qing
Title: Re: Why do we sneeze?
Post by: Quantumcat on 28/06/2003 12:28:55
If you hold your nose tightly shut, shut your eyes, close your mouth and sort of push hard as if you were trying to snort, air comes out your tear ducts along with a whistling noise.

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Title: Re: Why do we sneeze?
Post by: Exodus on 28/06/2003 14:04:56
Its never done that with me... my ears just pop.

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Title: Re: Why do we sneeze?
Post by: Qing on 07/07/2003 10:33:17
I tried it,and felt like air comes out the tear ducts but without any whistling noise. I think I'll ask some other people to try it as well.

Qing
Title: Re: Why do we sneeze?
Post by: chris on 07/07/2003 15:17:49
Hi Qing

you've not been around for ages. Been anywhere nice ?

Chris

"I never forget a face, but in your case I'll make an exception"
 - Groucho Marx
Title: Re: Why do we sneeze?
Post by: Qing on 08/07/2003 09:27:47
i have just been to lourdes which is really nice. i was there helping sick people and enjoyed the work. i think if i got chance to go back next year, i'll definitely go[:)]

Qing
Title: Re: Why do we sneeze?
Post by: chris on 08/07/2003 11:06:37
Sounds interesting - how did you get on to that one ?

Chris

"I never forget a face, but in your case I'll make an exception"
 - Groucho Marx
Title: Re: Why do we sneeze?
Post by: Qing on 08/07/2003 13:05:52
it was organised by the diocese of Leeds,and our college(the only sixth form amongst all other year tens [xx(])take part in this activity,and i just simply applied for it(i'm not a religiose person[:D])but our teacher really thought about it carefully as i am an international student there. the whole thing was absolutely fantastic, the only thing upseting was we had to take 24 hrs coach[xx(]awlful[:(] i need to go back, i'm in the middle of my lesson[:D]

Qing
Title: Re: Why do we sneeze?
Post by: Qing on 08/07/2003 14:37:36
chris, have you been to anywhere?

Qing
Title: Re: Why do we sneeze?
Post by: cuso4 on 10/07/2003 21:55:08
My cycling trip was brilliant! We started from Whitehaven and finished at Sunderland, WE had to ride across the Lake District and then over the Pennines. It was a 135 miles ride! Quite long and tough actually, I'm proud of myself that I had done it.

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Title: Re: Why do we sneeze?
Post by: Donnah on 10/07/2003 22:14:26
That sounds like great fun Angel!  Did you take photos and/or journal?  You're probably taking frequent short walks for a while to keep your legs limber.
Title: Re: Why do we sneeze?
Post by: cuso4 on 11/07/2003 07:20:10
I did take some photos but not a lot because the team's pace were quite fast so I only took pictures where we stopped as a group. And yes Donnah a little walk during a steep hill ride did give my legs the energy just to keep going.

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