Publication date: September 16, 2022
Hatshoe, hatsjoe, hatsjoe. If you have to sneeze, chances are you will do so several times in a row. But why do we do that?
Nose irritation
First of all, why do we sneeze? This is because the mucous membrane in the nose becomes irritated. Think of a dust or pollen that ends up in your nose. Some people already feel the irritation in the nose when they are in a dusty room. The irritation is then caused by the substances suspended in the air. Perfume or sunlight is also a trigger for many people.
Multiple attempts
Why do we sneeze more than once? The irritation does not go away immediately in all cases. Then several attempts are needed to get the dust out of the nose, for example. Once the irritation is gone, the sneezing will stop as well. You may also sneeze more often than usual during a cold. The cold virus makes your nasal mucosa hypersensitive.
Trigger by light
There are also people who can sneeze into the nose without irritation. They then only have to look at the light. How this comes about, according to Quest still unknown. According to the magazine, there are strong indications of a genetic predisposition. According to a 2019 Chinese study, the triplet nerve may have something to do with it.
‘Good weather tomorrow’
After sneezing 3 times, we often say to each other in the Netherlands: then the weather will be nice tomorrow. Why we say this is not entirely clear. Although it is possible according to Emma Kemp from Dutch Studies This is because people with hay fever more often have an irritated nose and produce noise in the spring. That’s a sign of good weather.
sneezing hard
How much noise we produce with a sneeze is also personal. It depends, among other things, on your lung capacity and the amount of air you have inhaled beforehand. The more air you have inhaled, the harder the sneeze. Quest writes on the website that a sneeze produces an average of about 85 decibels. That’s as loud as the sound of a truck driving past.
Hats off
And why do we say hatsjoe when we sneeze? Quest explains it in a nice way:
(Source: Quest, Margriet, Weeronline. Photo: Shutterstock)