Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Why do we sneeze?


Sneezing helps our body to get rid of potential irritants such as dust and pollen, and it
also helps to clear our breathing passages.
A sneeze happens when we feel a tickle behind the nostrils: then a nerve in the nose sends a message to the brain. The brain informs the muscles of the abdomen, chest, diaphragm, vocal cords, throat, and even eyelids to work together in just the right order to get rid of the irritants, through the amazing mechanism of the sneeze. Our chest muscles squeeze the chest with enough force to shoot air up from the lungs and out through the nose at speeds of up to 100 miles per hour.
Sometimes bright light can make us sneeze-about one out of every three people sneezes when exposed to bright light. These people are called “photic” sneezers (photic means light), and this trait is hereditary.
An excerpt from the book “Why you shouldnʼt eat your boogers” by Francesca Gould

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