From two sneezes to one
For as long as I can remember, when I’ve sneezed it’s always been at least twice. I’m not alone in that, not by a longshot:
Sneezes never seem to be lonely. As soon as you expel your first mighty “achoo,” there’s usually another sneeze lurking right behind to follow it up. For some people, there may be two, three, or even 10 that come after that original sneeze, making for an awful lot of “bless yous” from well-wishers nearby. So why is it that our sneezes seem to adhere to the buddy system?
It all has to do with the power behind your nose’s blows. Usually, sneezes are initiated when a foreign particle or external stimulant enters your snout, reaching the nasal mucosa. “This triggers a release of histamines, which irritate nerve cells in the nose,” Dawn Zacharias, an allergist at University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland, tells Popular Science. “This activates and results in the sneeze. It’s a powerful release of air, expelling what’s in the nose that’s causing the irritation.”
However, if the irritant is still lingering in your nostrils after a sneeze, your nose is going to give it another go. So typically, a second sneeze means that your first sneeze didn’t really do its job. It explains why people with allergies seem to constantly be reaching for a handkerchief.
I’ve always been a two-sneeze kind of gal, and I also have allergies.
But a couple of days ago I sneezed once, waited for the followup, and it didn’t come. This was so extraordinary that I remarked on it to my companion and said it was the first time in my life that I could ever recall it happening.
But the next time I sneezed, a few hours or maybe a day later, it happened again.
And it just happened again. One lone lorn sneeze. Is my nose suddenly becoming more efficient? Might this be one of the few benefits of growing older?
I usually sneeze twice but sometimes once and rarely 3 times. My sister invariably sneezes exactly 4 times. I’ve counted it, repeatedly, awed at the force and exactitude.
Just a guess but I suspect it might have to do with our body’s tolerance, in that my sister for instance has a higher tolerance for irritants, so that when a sneeze is finally triggered, she has more irritants to expel than do I.
I usually have 3 in a row. I can not remember a solo sneeze ever. I also have photic sneezes that happen when bright sunlight strikes my eyes at near sunset or at sunrise. Mom was the same and my daughter has the annoying condition too.
Note that there is also a disorder called “photic sneeze response” in which bright light (including sunlight) can trigger a sneeze episode.
Those of us who have it often look at bright light to trigger a reluctant sneeze.
http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=15801
Relatedly,
When I feel a cough coming on, I inhale deeply and cough hard, once. Because this is so odd, people keep thinking I’ve sneezed and say “bless you.”
I have calculated/guessed that we are very close to the same age. I am still sneezing in threes. So, it would not appear to be age, after all. I hope that this provides some comfort or reassurance.
Probably just a slowly developing allergic reaction to Granny Smith.
I’m a two sneezer as well.
Neo, thanks for bringing up this fascinating topic. I consider myself a semi-professional sternutator, and I’m also a photic sneezer. Parker, do your family’s photic sneezes also come in threes?
I never sneeze more than twice, it seems (photic or not). If my first one is done with proper follow-through, there’s no followup.
I’ve even gone so far as to try to help coworkers refine their sternutative technique, with occasional success.
I don’t want to be a downer, but going from 2 sneezes to 1 could be a reflection of your immune response not being as vigorous as it was in your more youthful days.
I’ve always been single-sneezer. Never had allergies until the last few years. However, my cubicle-mate, who has had allergies all her life is a habitual, daily double-sneezer. So the allergy hypothesis is supported by my experience (anecdote v data distinction aside).
If I sneeze fewer than 4 times, something is wrong. 7 is my average.
I myself am a tri-sneezer. To the point that if I sneeze less that three, people who know me well will go, “Well, where is it”?
What an interesting post.
Two-sneezer here. I did experience 3 sneezes a little over a year ago. I only remember it because it was the first time I sneezed other than 2 times. If I’ve sneezed once, I don’t remember.
Also, I cannot sneeze quietly and warn people when I feel the urge approaching.
Yep. I’m a photic sneezer.
Finally, I cannot sneeze without shutting my eyes (more of a blink, actually). – no matter how hard I try.
Thanks. this is one of the greatest non-important posts I’ve ever read and enjoyed so thoroughly.