Did You Know …You Can’t Sneeze in Your Sleep?

Did You Know …You Can’t Sneeze in Your Sleep?

When Your Brain Puts Sneezing on Pause

Photo by Shane on Unsplash

Sneezing is a protective reflex that helps clear irritants such as dust, pollen, or smoke from your nose. To trigger a sneeze, the nerves inside your nose must send signals to a “sneeze center” in the brain.

When you’re asleep, especially during deeper stages of sleep, the brain reduces its responsiveness to many external stimuli. The nerves involved in the sneeze reflex become less sensitive, and the brain is less likely to process the signals needed to trigger a sneeze.

This doesn’t mean irritants disappear while you sleep. Instead, your body is less likely to react to them. If an irritant becomes strong enough, it may wake you up first. Once you’re awake, the sneeze reflex becomes fully active again, and you may immediately sneeze.

Your brain puts the sneeze reflex on “sleep mode” while you’re asleep, helping you stay asleep unless something is important enough to wake you up. 😴🤧😂

Reference:

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/can-you-sneeze-in-your-sleep