Sunday, March 13, 2005

Not quite everything you wanted to know about sneezing

Me and my allergies. Lately I've been sneezing a lot, and when I sneeze I'm sure my neighbours down the road and around the corner can hear it. Now I have a new concern - when I sneeze so hard that I can feel my insides jiggle, what's it doing to the baby? Is it waking him/her up, or does the amniotic fluid cushion him (much like being in a swimming pool stops you from feeling an earthquake - and this I know from experience)?

Being a frequent sneezer, I looked up sneezing on the Internet (as you do).

According to net.doctor, it is possible that being pregnant makes my allergies worse, but sneezing doesn't harm the baby (okay I assumed that; I want to know whether the baby turns somersaults when I sneeze). I am however relieved to get confirmation that it's okay to use my steroid-choked nasal spray.

I didn't find the answer to my burning question, but I did find some trivia about sneezing:

Apparently looking into bright light can make you sneeze. I truly believe this, because whenever I get one of those almost-but-not-quite sneezes, all I have to do is look towards the nearest source of light to get relief.

If you're a Muslim, it's important to say the right thing when someone sneezes - "May Allah be merciful on you,", and the sneezer has to reply, "All the praises are for Allah,".

Often my sneezes are immediately followed by wheeziness. As if I needed another sympton to complain about. This is apparently because of my allergy to dust mite poo. I suppose it means I should do more dusting (or even better, get someone else to do it for me).

There is a television show in Japan which consists solely of people sneezing.

The sneeze has been called "the orgasm of the nose". It's also been regarded as a sign from the gods, or an opportunity for the devil to enter your body. There are lots of superstitions about sneezing. I know that my mother used to tell me she was expecting something special in the mail, or a long-distance phone call, because she sneezed (and didn't have a cold).

You can tell by the colour and texture of your snot whether you have a cold or allergy, and at what stage.

It's true that if you go to London, your snot turns black. This, I also know from experience.

11 comments:

Jon said...

I'm sure the baby is fine. Sneezing isn't harming it! And I feel for you- my allergies are always bad at the end of May and most of June, and most medicines, even some prescription ones seem to do little.

Claudine said...

I've always wondered about sneezing, and now someone's blogged about it. Nice.

Me said...

Don't forget that the American Indians taught us that rubbing your tongue on the roof of your mouth can stop a sneeze... (good if you are trying to sneak up on someone and don't want your sneeze to give you away) and not that it matters but I always sneeze twice in a row... one on top of each other. So quickly they are almost one. My husband is greatly jealous. LOL.

Frally said...

Wow, that was really interesting! I once knew a girl who sneezed 11 times in a row and then fainted as it took it out of her. Also, I don't think I'll be going to London any time soon after learning what happens to your snot. eeew.

Anonymous said...

My grandmother says this rhyme when I sneeze in multiples:
One for a wish
Two for a kiss
Three for a letter
Four for something better

(she won't be drawn on what she thinks 4 actually brings...)

Happy and Blue 2 said...

Thank you for sharing that sneezing information.
Do babies sneeze in the womb? If they do where does the sneeze go?

Violet said...

Jon: If you were present to feel the power of my sneezes, you wouldn't be so sure.

claudblog: Glad to be of service.

aka;meritt: I was never taught that, since I was educated here in NZ. I must remember to try that tho - what I usually do to prevent a sneeze is put pressure on the bridge of my nose.


Frally: I'm told it's the pollution in the air which does that. Better out than in, I say.

EB: and the worse place would be in someone's face or food.

The Editter: Two sneezes for a kiss, huh? I assume the kiss doesn't arrive immediately after the sneezes.

Happyandblue2: If babies in the womb sneeze, then their snot would go wehere their wees go ;-)

Anonymous said...

Sneezing trivia:

According to the Guinness Book of Records, the longest sneezing bout was 978 days. This was suffered by 12-year old schoolgirl Donna Griffiths of Worcestershire, UK. Starting on January 13 1981, she sneezed an estimated one million times in the first 365 days. At first she was sneezing once a minute, but towards the end it fizzled out to one every 5 mins.

And apparently, if we didn't close our eyes when we sneeze, they would pop out...try it and see (pun intended)!

My cat hates my sneezing decibel level, but seems strangely attuned to my fella's (which has been known to wake up the dead in university lectures).

flying kiwi said...

And in Spanish, they say "salud" (health, like German Gesundheid) after a sneeze. But that's not where it ends. Two is "dinero" (money) and three is "amor" (love). So any number of sneezes is lucky I guess.

Amazingly, my grandmother says the same rhyme as the Editter's.

Watson Woodworth said...

As an Atheist for years I never knew what to say when somebody sneezed. Often people here think "Gesundheid" means "Bless You" but then Americans can be pretty stupid.

glomgold said...

Wow. All that annoying stuff you'd have to say as a Muslim-sneezer sounds even more annoying than the constant 'bless yous' around here.