You know that feeling. That tickle. It’s right on the edge of your consciousness, dancing around the bridge of your nose like a ghost. Then, nothing. It just disappears, leaving you frustrated and twitchy. Most people have been there, desperately trying to figure out how to make a person sneeze—whether it’s for themselves or a friend whose "stuck" sneeze is ruining their dinner conversation. Sneezing is basically a reset button for your nasal cavity. It’s a violent, coordinated blast of air designed to kick out irritants like dust, pollen, or cat dander. But you can't always just flip a switch to make it happen.
The biology of a sneeze is actually pretty metal. It’s called the sternutatory reflex. When the trigeminal nerve—the largest of your cranial nerves—gets poked or prodded by an external stimulus, it sends a frantic "evict everything" signal to the brainstem. From there, your lungs take a deep breath, your chest muscles tighten, and your eyes shut tight. You can't keep them open. It's impossible.
The Weird Science of the Photic Sneeze Reflex
If you’re trying to trigger a sneeze, the sun might be your best friend. Or a bright LED light. About one-third of the population has what scientists call the Autosomal Dominant Compelling Helio-Ophthalmic Outburst syndrome. Yes, the acronym is literally ACHOO. It sounds like a joke, but it’s real genetic science. Essentially, the wires in the brain get crossed. The optic nerve, which senses bright light, sits right next to that trigeminal nerve we talked about. When the sun hits your eyes, the signal "leaks" over, and the brain thinks the nose is being irritated.
I've seen people walk out of a dark movie theater and immediately let out a triple-shot of sneezes. It's predictable. It's weird. If you have this trait, looking toward a bright light (but never directly at the sun, because, you know, blindness) is the fastest way to get that stuck sneeze out. If you don't have the gene? You can stare at the sun until you're seeing spots and nothing will happen. Biology is picky like that.
Tickling the Trigeminal Nerve Without Making a Mess
Sometimes you have to be a bit more manual about it. The most common advice for how to make a person sneeze involves a tissue. You roll the corner into a tiny, soft point—a "wick"—and gently wiggle it in the nostril. You aren't trying to dig for gold here. You’re just looking to irritate the fine hairs and the mucosal lining. This sends a physical "foreign object" alert to the brain.
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But there is a catch. If you do this too much, you’ll just inflame the tissue and make your nose sore. It’s a delicate balance.
Then there’s the plucking method. This is for the brave. Tweezing a stray eyebrow hair can sometimes trigger a sneeze because of the dense network of nerves in the face. It’s all connected. One sharp tug on an eyebrow hair can overstimulate the trigeminal nerve enough to cause a reflexive sneeze. It’s painful, sure, but it’s effective for those who are desperate to clear their sinuses.
What About Food and Smells?
We’ve all seen the cartoons where someone shakes a pepper shaker and everyone in the room starts exploding with sneezes. There is actual chemistry behind that. Black, white, and green peppercorns contain an alkaloid called piperine. This stuff is a natural irritant. When it hits the nerve endings inside the mucous membrane of the nose, it’s like setting off a tiny chemical alarm.
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You don't even have to inhale the powder directly—which you shouldn't do anyway because it hurts like hell. Just the aroma of freshly cracked pepper can be enough. Other spices like cumin, coriander, or crushed red pepper flakes can do the trick too, though piperine is the heavy hitter.
Interestingly, some people sneeze when they eat dark chocolate. This is less common than the light-sneezing thing, but it’s a documented phenomenon. It’s thought to be another "crossed wire" situation in the nervous system. If you have a high concentration of cocoa in your mouth, the sudden intensity can trigger a reflex in some people.
Why You Shouldn't Force It Too Hard
Look, sneezing is a high-pressure event. When you sneeze, the air can travel at speeds up to 100 miles per hour. That is a lot of force. Trying to force a sneeze when your body isn't ready, or worse, holding a sneeze in, can actually be dangerous.
Dr. Alan Wild, a head and neck surgeon at Saint Louis University School of Medicine, has noted that while rare, holding in a sneeze can cause injuries like ruptured eardrums or even blood vessels in the eyes to pop. If the body wants to sneeze, let it. If it doesn't, don't try to turn your head into a pressurized canister.
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Common Misconceptions About Sneezing
- Your heart stops: It doesn't. The pressure in your chest changes, which might skip a beat's rhythm, but your heart definitely keeps ticking.
- Your eyes will pop out: Total myth. There is no physical connection that would allow the pressure of a sneeze to dislodge your eyeballs. Your eyelids close as a reflex to protect your eyes from whatever germs you're ejecting.
- Sneezing is always a cold: Sometimes it's just dust. Or a change in temperature. Cold air hitting the nose can cause the membranes to swell and trigger a sneeze instantly.
The Mental Game: Can You Think Yourself Into a Sneeze?
There is a weird psychological component here too. Ever noticed that if you talk about sneezing, or watch someone else struggle with one, you start to feel that phantom tickle? It’s similar to yawning. While you can't necessarily "will" a sneeze into existence through pure meditation, focusing on the sensation in your nose can sometimes help the reflex cross the finish threshold.
Some people swear by humming. The vibration in the nasal bridge can occasionally shake things up enough to trigger the nerve. It’s hit or miss, honestly.
Actionable Steps for Clearing the Sinuses
If you are stuck and need that relief right now, follow this sequence.
- Find a bright light. Look toward it, tilt your head back, and let your eyes adjust to the brightness. This is the "easy win" if you have the photic reflex.
- The Tissue Wick. Take a clean tissue, roll a corner into a soft spike, and gently move it around the inner wall of your nostril. Don't go deep. Just tickle the surface.
- Massage the bridge. Use your thumb and forefinger to firmly massage the bridge of your nose. Sometimes physical manipulation can move an irritant to a more sensitive spot or stimulate the nerve through the skin.
- Sniff the air. If you have access to a kitchen, open a jar of black pepper or cumin. Don't snort it. Just a gentle whiff of the air near the jar might provide the chemical nudge your brain needs.
- Cool it down. Step into a cold room or open the freezer. The sudden shift in air temperature is a classic trigger for many people.
Sneezing is one of those basic bodily functions we take for granted until it doesn't work. It’s a complex dance of nerves, muscles, and reflexes. If these methods don't work after a few minutes, honestly, just let it go. Your body will eventually handle the irritant on its own, and the "stuck" feeling will pass. Forcing it usually just leads to a red nose and a headache. Keep the tissues handy and let the reflex do its thing naturally.