Why don’t you sneeze in your sleep? Things you didn’t know about sneezing in your sleep.

We all sneeze sometimes, but can you sneeze in your sleep? It is a bodily reflex when the mucous membrane of your nose and lungs is stimulated. To clean nose and lungs you sneeze. You can wake up to sneeze, but during sleep, strangely enough, you don’t! With this article, we try to answer everything you didn’t already know about sneezing in your sleep.

What happens when we sneeze?

Imagine getting pepper up your nose. The mucous membrane is stimulated because something enters your airways that doesn’t belong there. As a reflex, your body will want to clear the stimulus, in this example pepper, out of your airways. You inhale deeply and your vocal cords close, collecting the air in your lungs. Your abdominal muscles and diaphragm contract and your vocal cords separate so that, with great force, the air cleanses the nose and lungs of the pepper.

The greater your lung capacity, the harder you sneeze! A sneeze can reach a speed of up to 150 km per hour. So it is best to sneeze into your elbow. If you pinch the nose in time or keep the lips tightly together before your body takes a deep breath you can prevent the sneeze.

Why often sneeze in bed?

When you crawl into bed, certain elements can trigger sneezing. For example, when you have a sniping cold, your nasal mucosa will react more sensitively. But why do you sneeze in bed if you don’t have a cold?

Allergy

Inhaling an allergen through the nose can trigger a violent reaction from your body’s own immune system, such as sneezing. But watery eyes, a stuffy feeling, itching and a runny or stuffy nose can also disturb your sleep considerably.

Allergic reactions are caused by allergens. Those allergens can come from dust mites, animal dander or pollen blowing in through your bedroom window and ending up in your bed. An ENT doctor can diagnose this allergy and prescribe you antihistamines or nasal sprays.

If you try to keep your bedroom free of allergens to the maximum extent possible, you will be less likely to suffer anyway and may need to take less medication. What can you do?

• Wash your bed textiles regularly, especially your pillowcases;
• Wash or replace your pillow in a timely manner;
• Use anti-allergic mattress pads;
• Consider using probiotic spray;
• Do not leave your pet(s) on your bed or bedroom;
• Avoid elements that attract dust such as decorative pillows, soft toys or clothes racks without protection or open cabinets;
• install a HEPA air filter;
• ventilate the room vigorously in the morning and then close your windows, especially in pollen season;

Fragrances

We already talked about pepper, but wasabi, tobacco smoke, paint smells, deodorants, cleaning products or a strong perfume can also trigger a pungent sneeze. These odors do not contain an allergen but can irritate your mucous membranes, causing you to sneeze. When you are permanently or temporarily confronted with odors that irritate you and you cannot avoid them, consider installing an air purifier in your bedroom?

Medicine

Certain medications may cause sneezing or worsen sneezing symptoms. Of course, it’s best to talk to your doctor about this. And to help you, the website of ENT doctor Amsterdam has created a handy list, so you can quickly check if you are taking a medication that has coughing or sneezing as a side effect. Check this link.

Waking up to sneeze

So there are quite a few elements that can lead to sneezing. And, of course, also when you go to sleep and lie in your bed. Yet you cannot sneeze in your sleep. That’s because the sneezing reflex is suppressed by your brain when you sleep. This is believed to be so, to ensure that you literally do not wake up and sleep takes precedence as an important process.

And yet … Japanese research shows that strong stimuli still make you sneeze in your sleep. In which, of course, you also flinch awake. Japanese researchers at Shiga University of Medical Science used wasabi to stimulate the noses of sleeping subjects. Within 2 minutes they were awakened, sneezing, from their sleep. Except for one test subject, who turned out to have a stuffy nose.(source Quest)

Frequently asked questions:

Can you sneeze in your sleep – Conclusion

You may be stimulated to sneeze during sleep. As a result, you will be awake. You cannot sneeze during sleep because your brain suppresses this reflex. Moreover, during REM sleep, the muscles you need to sneeze are also paralyzed.