Why do we close our eyes when we sneeze? What happens if we sneeze without closing our eyes?

Have you noticed that we usually close our eyes when we sneeze? What is this interesting reaction? Closing our eyes is an instinctive reaction of our body to protect our eyes. Why do we have such an instinctive action? Let's learn more about it.

Contents of this article

1. Why do we close our eyes when we sneeze?

2. What happens if you sneeze without closing your eyes?

3. How to sneeze correctly

Why do you close your eyes when you sneeze?

When we sneeze, our facial muscles contract, which inevitably leads to a conditioned reflex that causes us to close our eyes. The pressure required to expel foreign matter from the nose is very high, and this pressure can make the airflow reach a speed of about 150 kilometers per hour. Closing our eyes is an instinctive reaction of our body to protect our eyes. If we sneeze with our eyes open, the pressure of the sneeze may seriously damage the tear duct and even traumatize the optic nerve. If you sneeze too hard, it will cause the chest cavity to rupture, but if you try to hold back the sneeze, it will cause a blood vessel in your head or neck to rupture. If you sneeze with your eyes open, your eyeball may be knocked out.

What happens if you sneeze without closing your eyes?

When you sneeze, hundreds of muscles in your face will relax effectively, and your eyes will close instinctively. Sneezing with your eyes open will make your eyeballs pop out, but it is only a scene in cartoons. If you can really sneeze with your eyes open, it is actually beneficial and harmless.

The scientific explanation is: the opening and closing of the eyelids are mainly completed by the circular orbicularis oculi muscle and the fan-shaped levator palpebrae superioris muscle. When you need to close your eyes, the brain sends a command, and the orbicularis oculi muscle is controlled by nerve conduction to contract, and the eyelids are closed; on the contrary, the brain controls the levator palpebrae superioris muscle to contract, the orbicularis oculi muscle relaxes, and the eyelids open. When sneezing, you need to use a lot of force to expel the gas. There is a lot of pressure in the lungs, mouth, and nasal cavity. This pressure can make the jet of air reach a speed of 160 kilometers per hour and can spray 3 or 4 meters away! If you sneeze with your eyes open, the pressure of the sneeze may seriously damage the tear duct and even cause trauma to the optic nerve. Therefore, in order to protect the fragile eyes, our brain has formed this instinctive reaction in the long process of evolution.

How to sneeze correctly

1. When you sneeze or cough, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue, then crumple the tissue and throw it into the trash can.

2. If there is no time to cover your face, it is recommended that you put your hand up and inject it into your arm, which will at least block the spread of the cold virus.

3. Cover your mouth and nose with your hands, and be sure to wash your hands in time to avoid secondary contamination of door handles, telephones and other items.

4. When sneezing, if you cover your mouth and nose completely, the pressure of the sneeze will act on the eardrum through the Eustachian tube, which may cause perforation of the eardrum in severe cases. Therefore, when you sneeze, do not press too tightly with a tissue or handkerchief to cover your nose, and leave some space to reduce pressure.

5. When sneezing, it is best to put one hand on your waist to protect your spine. If you don’t have time, you can also maintain a half-squat position.