Be Alert, Holding Back Sneering Can Increase These 3 Health Risks!

Illustration of sneezing (Pexels/Andrea Piacquadio)

JAKARTA - Although it sounds trivial, holding back sneezing turns out to have a big effect on the health of the body, especially if it is often done. When sneezing, the body produces pressure on the respiratory system.

Covering your mouth or nose while sneezing will put pressure back on your head, your nose cavity, or down your throat, and back into your chest. This will lead to a marked increase in pressure, about 5-24 times the normal sneezing pressure, and cause some health risks below.

1. Make the eardrum problematic

Pressure from sneezing detention can cause damage to the middle and inner ear, including the rupture of the eardrum.

"Our nose and ears are connected by the eustachius channel. If you hold back sneezing, there will be an increase in the pressure on the nose, which will flow into the ear through the eustachius channel causing trauma to the eardrum," said Dr. Jason Abramowitz, MD, an otollaryngologist THT and Allergy Associates at Oradell, New Jersey, reported by Live Strong, on Friday, February 21, 2025.

2. Brain aneurism

The pressure that occurs due to sneezing also has the potential to cause brain aneurism. This is a life-threatening injury, which can cause bleeding in the skull around the brain.

3. Broken blood vessels in the brain and eyes

Increasing the pressure due to the resilience of sneezing can also cause blood vessels in the nasal tract to be pinched and ruptured. This will certainly affect the function of the nose as it should be.

Not only nose, but this pressure can also injure the eye. The effect can be seen with small bleeding or red eyes.

In addition, holding back sneezing for a while can also increase intraocular pressure or pressure in the eyes. Although it is not dangerous for most people, it can cause problems for them with certain eye conditions, such as glaukuma.