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

We all sneeze from time to time, but can you sneeze in your sleep? It is a physical reflex that occurs when the mucous membranes of your nose and lungs are stimulated. You sneeze to clear your nose and lungs. Strangely enough, you can wake up to sneeze, but it doesn’t happen during sleep itself! In this article, we aim to answer everything you didn’t know about sneezing in your sleep.

What happens when we sneeze?

Imagine getting pepper in 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 case, the pepper—from your airways. You inhale deeply and your vocal cords close, causing air to collect in your lungs. Your abdominal muscles and diaphragm contract and your vocal cords open so that the air, with great force, clears the pepper from your nose and lungs.

The larger your lung capacity, the harder you sneeze! A sneeze is actually slower than often thought: in measurements by Tang and colleagues (2013), the airflow reached a maximum of about 4.5 meters per second, roughly 16 km per hour. Still, a sneeze spreads quite a few droplets, so it’s best to sneeze into your elbow. If you pinch your nose in time or keep your lips tightly closed before your body takes that deep breath, you can prevent the sneezing fit.

Why do you often sneeze in bed?

When you crawl into bed, certain elements can trigger sneezing. For example, if you are heavily congested, 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 strong reaction from your body’s own immune system, such as sneezing. But watery eyes, a feeling of tightness, itching, and a runny or stuffy nose can also significantly disrupt your sleep.

Allergic reactions are caused by allergens. These allergens can end up in your bed via dust mites, pet dander, or pollen blowing in through your bedroom window. An ENT specialist can diagnose this allergy and prescribe antihistamines or a nasal spray.

If you try to keep your bedroom as free of allergens as possible, you will suffer less anyway and may also need to take less medication. What can you do?

• wash your bed linens regularly, especially your pillowcase
• wash or replace your pillow in a timely manner
• use anti-allergenic mattress protectors
• consider using a probiotic spray
• do not allow your pet(s) on your bed or in the bedroom
• avoid items that attract dust, such as decorative pillows, stuffed animals, unprotected clothes racks, or open closets
• install a HEPA air filter
• ventilate the room thoroughly in the morning and then close your windows, especially during pollen season

Fragrances

We already mentioned pepper, but wasabi, tobacco smoke, paint fumes, deodorants, cleaning products, or a strong perfume can also trigger a sharp sneezing fit. These scents do not contain allergens but can irritate your mucous membranes, causing you to sneeze. If you are permanently or temporarily faced with irritating scents that you cannot avoid, consider installing an air purifier in your bedroom.

Medications

Certain medications can lead to sneezing or worsen sneezing symptoms. Naturally, it is best to discuss this with your GP. To help you, the website of ENT Amsterdam has created a handy list. This allows you to quickly check if you are using 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, including when you go to sleep and lie in bed. Yet you cannot sneeze in your sleep. This is because the sneeze reflex is suppressed by your brain while you sleep. This is presumably to ensure that you aren’t literally woken up and because sleep takes precedence as an important process.

And yet… Japanese research shows that strong stimuli can make you sneeze in your sleep. And then, of course, you wake up with a start. Researchers at Shiga University of Medical Science in Japan stimulated the noses of sleeping subjects with wasabi. Within two minutes, they were awakened from their sleep while sneezing. All except for one subject, who turned out to have a blocked nose. (source: Quest)

Read also: is tossing and turning in your sleep normal?

Frequently Asked Questions:

Can you sneeze in your sleep – Conclusion

You can be stimulated to sneeze during sleep, but the result is that you will then wake up. Sneezing while you are asleep is not possible because your brain suppresses this reflex. During REM sleep, the muscles you need to sneeze are also paralyzed.