Myth or truth: Does the heart skip a beat when we sneeze?

Have you heard that when we sneeze, the reaction that occurs in our body is so violent that our heart "skips" a beat as if it had momentarily stopped? But before we explain if this story is true or not, how about knowing a little more about sneezing?

According to The Library of Congress, sneezing begins with a feeling of itching or irritation in the nerve endings of our nose, which in turn send a signal to the brain indicating that there is something in the mucous membranes that it needs to get rid of. First we take a deep breath, making our chest muscles stiffen.

Cheers!

Image source: Reproduction / Wikipedia

Then the pressure on the lungs increases, we close our eyes, press our tongue against the roof of the mouth and ... Atchim ! Interestingly, the variation in pressure in our chest alters blood flow, which can result in a change in heart rate. And when there is a slight “delay” between one beat and another, the next pulse is a bit stronger and therefore more noticeable than the others.

Therefore, the idea that the heart comes to a stop when we sneeze, although it is only a simple impression, may have originated thanks to this variation in the rhythm of the heartbeat. So, answering the title question, this story that the heart “skips” a beat when we sneeze is pure myth.

Sneeze Curiosities

Image Source: shutterstock

  • Sneezing is an automatic reflex and cannot be stopped once the process is triggered;
  • People do not sneeze while sleeping, because the nerves involved in this action are relaxed;
  • Between 18% and 35% of the population sneeze when abruptly exposed to bright light;
  • Sneezing can reach unbelievable speeds of 160 kilometers per hour, and saliva spray can spread 1.5 meters away;
  • Some people sneeze as they brush eyebrows because the nerve endings on the face, when stimulated, trigger signals that trigger an impulse that reaches the nasal nerves;
  • The longest reported sneezing episode is that of an English woman who sneezed for 978 days - at intervals of one sneeze per minute at first - in a row.

* Originally posted on 28/06/2013.

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