Speaking as someone with a current viral respiratory infection of some kind that was just prescribed Benzonatate and Albuterol, there needs to be a much more effective treatment for a bad dry cough. It’s pure misery.

i sometimes get really bad bouts of chronic bronchitis for 3 weeks on end. There’s no silver bullet but I really like Vic’s vapor rub, a humidifier, and ricola cough drops. To sleep, I usually stack 2/3 pillows so my nose drains properly. When I wake up in the middle of the night hacking, I sit in the shower with a ton of steam.

One time I spent a lot of time in the shower and lost feeling in my skin for over a year. I don't think it ever came back fully to be honest. Just be careful to not fall asleep in a shower.

The sneeze neurons of some people are also activated when: eating peppermint, eating dark chocolate, and looking into bright light.

https://www.thenakedscientists.com/articles/questions/what-d...

Fun fact: the tissue in the nose is just like that found in the penis and clitoris. When I get that feeling that I need to sneeze, a light stimulation of the tip of my nose with a fingernail is all it takes to guarantee satisfaction.

Looking into bright light and getting triggered for sneezing is called the photic sneeze reflex.

I’m one of the 18% (?) of the population with it, and it is hereditary.

I actually kind of like it, as if I need to sneeze all I need to do is look at a bright light.

Isn't it caused by the eyes watering a bit, and the drip internally stimulating the sneeze ?

Is it relative brightness or absolute?

specifically sky, a bright screen won't trigger it

It definitively works with bright lights, but intensity seems important (maybe also spectrum.) I find only a light that would hurt to stare at works

Maybe try a HDR screen (?)

I use a friend as a test to know if chocolate is >85% cocoa as it makes him sneeze (the occasion doesn’t present itself very often I’ll admit). I think I have the sun one, but it’s pretty occasional

Has there been any studies on whether it’s better to hold in sneezes (partially or fully) or let them fully out? I prefer letting it all out and it’s kind of messy but probably healthier. My wife kind of keeps half of it in.

Letting it all out just feels soooo good. Whenever I can, I do. Like if I'm out in the garden by myself: no holding back. Lean into it. So good!

The "holding your nose closed" some people do is actively bad. You can blow up blood vessels that way. Not good if its the wrong one.

Rubbing the nostrils if you are in a situation where you don't want to sneeze works wonders in just: not sneezing at all. It just goes away in 99% of the cases in my experience. And if you're too late you can still sneeze into your elbow.

Which still let's a lot of droplets fly everywhere. Gotta find that super slow motion camera video showing all the droplets. When you sneeze, even into an elbow, do it such that whatever inevitably makes it past the elbow goes down towards the floor instead of up and into the room at least.

Thanks, didn’t know about the rubbing your nostrils trick. Though sometimes I want to sneeze to get whatever triggered it out.

I can hold a sneeze without using my hands. I don't know if it's harmful though.

Anything that dissipates the pressure you are creating "inside" is potentially harmful.

Compare how it feels. Holding it in, which I have done too, you feel the pressure in your head. It has to go somewhere.

Out the front is definitely safest for you.

My wife just read this thinking (at first) you were talking about flatulence.

We had a good laugh.

AFAIK holding a sneeze (i.e. sneezing without letting it out) is not that great for your circulatory system. You risk popping a vein or something.

Either you manage to stop the urge, or let it out, possibly by sneezing in your elbow or a tissue rather than in open air.

I can pretty consistently stop my sneezes. Never hold them tho. I like to see it as training for the one time I have to hide from a killer and I feel the urge to sneeze.

Once I coughed, sneezed, and farted at the same time. Very painful.

In 12th grade physics class, a kid - J.B. - walked into the room at the start of the class, silently held up his finger, and then simultaneously sneezed, farted, and burped at the same time. The 10 kids who were there already and the teacher gave him a round of applause.

Presenting to the emergency room...

A sneeze-hickup combo is also _very_ painful.

I've done them in tight sequence but never simultaneously. Much more research is needed.

lol. Can related. The pain was shielded by the laughs I had after.

> ‘sneeze neurons’ in the nasal passages relay sneeze signals to the brain

Not sure if related, but I found that pinching my nose often aborts an incoming sneeze.

Tickling the roof of your mouth with your tongue also seems to stop incoming sneezes for a lot of people.

If your body says you should sneeze why do you think you know better? You probably have something to push out, no?

In a crowd. Holding a sleeping baby. Sneaking past a security guard....

Mouth full of partially chewed carrot...

You always must sneeze into your chelidon / reverse elbow so the crowd one I disagree. The other two you got me there.

Then you get snot on your shirt sleeve.

That's the point, instead of everywhere.

Despite Hideo Kojima's best efforts for realism, Solid Snake never developed a hacking cough

Does that apply to the bowels too? The body isn't that smart...

I mean, yeah? I don’t really see a situation where it’s better to ignore your bowels wanting to push something out?

I can sometimes convert a cough to sneeze by blowing it out of nose instead.

Nose vs throat...