If you’re the type of sneezer whose achoos can pierce an eardrum, it’s important to know that you don’t have to live this way. You don’t have to be the kind of person who sneezes so loudly that it terrifies nearby animals.
Sneezing is a natural bodily function that protects our airways from pollutants like pollen or smoke. We all do it; just some of us do it significantly louder than others, as if it were just short of being an incredibly lame but still quite deadly superpower.
According to Jay F. Piccirillo, a professor of otolaryngology who spoke to the Washington Post, there actually is a way that you can reduce the volume of your sneezes so people don’t think someone has been murdered every time you get a little tickle in your nostrils.
How to Sneeze More Quietly
The process of sneezing starts with your brain sending signals to open the chest, which expands the lungs and builds pressure. This causes the vocal cords to vibrate as air is expelled, creating the auditorily distinctive blast of air.
The size and constriction of a person’s nasal and oral passageways alter the pitch of a sneeze. If you’ve got a narrow nasal passageway, your sneezes are probably a lot higher-pitched.
You don’t want to stifle the sneeze because you might hurt yourself. A sneeze is a powerful burst of air that you’re trying to lock in. That air’s gotta go somewhere, and if you trap it effectively enough, it will blow something out. You can damage your eardrums, and you might even rupture your throat.
If you want to muffle a sneeze like a silencer on a gun, it’s all in your breathing and in your ability to relax your vocal cords. It all begins just as you start to feel the sneeze coming on. Try to exhale as much as you can to release some of the pressure building up in your lungs.
Think of it like a balloon. A taught balloon brimming with air makes a much louder pop than one with only a little bit of air. Next, you want to use your tongue to apply pressure to move your mouth so you can direct the burst of air out of your nose instead of your mouth.
Now, relax your vocal cords, being sure to treat a sneeze the way you would a deep sigh. Finally, sneeze not into your palms but rather sneeze into the crook of your arm like you were Dracula holding your cape to your face.
Follow these steps, and your sneezes probably won’t be as boisterous. Just make sure you have a tissue handy, just in case.
The post How to Sneeze Quieter So You Stop Alarming People in Public appeared first on VICE.
