The Sacrificial Of A Koyak Man As A Result Of Holding Back Sneezing, This Is A Doctor's Explanation

JAKARTA - A man in his 30s experienced a surprising thing after covering his nose and mouth to hold it clean. He suffered a torn throat after doing so.

Quoted from the BBC, on Monday, November 17, 2025, the man was taken to Ninewells Hospitals after experiencing severe pain after holding back sneezing. CT scan results showed that he had a 2mm tear in his throat.

The case was documented in the medical journal BMJ Case Reports. Upon examination, the man did not require surgery and only underwent observation at the hospital, and was advised to avoid two weeks of strenuous physical activity to recover the rips in his throat.

Doctors from the University ofwas said that holding back sneezing by covering the nose and mouth can indeed be dangerous. This is because the pressure from the upper respiratory tract can increase about 20 times.

The main author of the report, Dr Rasads Misirovs, said that people should let sneezing out, because sneezing is a body's natural defense mechanism to remove irritation from the nasal tract.

Rasads suggested that people cover their faces with their hands or elbows to prevent the spread of irritation such as viruses. In addition, Rasads also offers alternative techniques to reduce sneezing in a better way.

"I personally have used another technique by pressing my thumb on the upper lip, just under the nose, without blocking the nasal channel for a few seconds, it worked for me," Rasads said.

"By leaving the nasal channel open, sneezing can still come out if the effort to hold it doesn't work," he added.

In addition to the tear in the throat, holding back sneezing can also cause other health problems. Such as the rupture of eardrums, damage to blood vessels, broken ribs, broken brain aneurism, so it is recommended to keep sneezing naturally.