Sneezing is described as a way your body remove irritants from your nose or throat. A sneeze is a powerful, involuntary expulsion of air from within. This usually happens suddenly and without warning. Another name for sneezing is sternutation. While this symptom can be quite annoying, it is not usually the result of any serious health condition. Here is an insight on how to stop sneezing.
One part of your nose’s job is to clean the air you breathe; making sure it is free from dirt and bacteria. In numerous conditions, your nose traps this dirt contained in the air and bacteria in mucus. Your stomach then digests the mucus, which neutralizes any potentially harmful invaders.
During your normal breathing dirt and debris can enter your nose and irritate the sensitive mucous membranes inside your nose and throat. When these membranes become irritated, it causes you to sneeze in order to get rid of the foreign debris.
How to stop Sneezing Immediately
This condition is no big deal, when it’s a single occurrence. When it becomes frequent without stopping is when you need to take a step to seek medication. Let us take a look at why you may be sneezing and how over-the-counter medications can help to stop sneezing. There is no cure for this condition but these tips will help you stop sneezing so you can reclaim your nose immediately.
- It will be very important that you avoid exposure to whatever is causing the allergic reaction.
- Change your furnace filters
- Don’t have pets in the house if you’re allergic to animal dander
- Travel to areas with low pollen counts
- Wash linens in very hot water to kill dust mites
- Vacuum and dust frequently
- If dry air is irritating your mucus membrane, it can induce sneezing attacks. It’s often an issue in very dry climates or in other areas during wintertime when the radiator is constantly running. When that’s the case, using a good humidifier, especially at night, can help you stop sneezing.
- On the other hand, too much moisture in the air can bother the sinuses and cause sneezing. A dehumidifier or air purifier can help clear the air and help you stop sneezing. If you detect a musty scent in your, it could be a sign you have mold. There are many causes of mold so be sure to get your house checked. In some cases, you may need to move out of a home with a mold spore problem.
- Sneezing can often be a symptom of an illness like the cold or flu. Usually, sneezing will go away once you heal. If you are sick, take good care of yourself! Stay hydrated, get lots of rest, and try some powerful cold remedies.
How to Stop Sneezing and Runny Nose
A runny nose means that your nasal lining is producing excessive amounts of mucus. With various home remedies for runny nose and related symptoms the likes of nasal congestion, sneezing, and cough, you may however be able to get back your optimum health faster.
How to treat sneezing at home
Common cold is the main cause of most cases of runny nose. As a viral infection, common cold has no cure, but there are various remedies that you can use to improve and hasten the healing of runny nose and other symptoms associated with common cold including fever, sore throat, headache, and itchy eyes. Here are some of these runny nose remedies:
- Saline nasal spray
A nasal spray made of salt can help to relieve runny nose and other symptoms that usually accompany it including congestion. Apart from aiding in thinning and flushing out of mucus and irritants, salt also helps to fight bacteria.
To make a saline nasal spray at home, simply mix a ¼ teaspoon of common salt with a glass of lukewarm water and then and administer it to your nostrils drop-wise using a small dropper. You can also add ¼ teaspoon of baking soda to make the solution even more effective. After adding a few drops to each nostril, finish by blowing the nose gently to remove the excess solution.
- Vapor rubs
This is one of those simple but very powerful home remedies for runny nose and congestion. Vapor rubs contain beneficial natural and synthetic ingredients that improve cold symptoms tremendously.
- Okra
Recent research studies on okra have shown that it has greatly varied health benefits. The sticky substance in okra, called mucilage, has in particular been shown to relieve runny nose and sore throat. Wash a few okra pods, take out the seeds and then boil them for 10 minutes. Once the pods have cooled down, eat them and drink the water in which they boiled.
- Lemon juice
Lemon juice also works wonders for runny nose. Other citrus fruits such as lime and orange are also beneficial. To prepare this remedy, squeeze some fresh lemons and pour the resulting juice into warm water before drinking it. This is particularly helpful for sneezing.
- Peppercorns
Otherwise known as black pepper, peppercorns also help to relieve runny nose. Simply chew a few peppercorns and then drink some hot water over them. This may seem to worsen the runny nose at first
Continuous Sneezing Causes
Even though it’s not the result of a serious health issue, excessive sneezing can still be quite irritating. You usually have to deal with constant sneezing when you are exposed to an allergen. You have to identify the source of problem to control excessive sneezing.
Sneezing can be triggered by a variety of things, including:
- Allergies
Allergies are an extremely common condition caused by your body’s response to foreign organisms. Under normal circumstances, your body’s immune system protects you from harmful invaders such as disease-causing bacteria. If you have allergies, your body’s immune system identifies typically harmless organisms as threats. Allergies can cause you to sneeze when your body tries to expel these organisms.
Most of the time, the reason behind your constant sneezing is some type of allergy. This usually happens when you are suffering from allergic rhinitis, which may affect you in specific seasons or hurt you all year round. Sometimes, you may also be allergic to specific foods, such as dairy.
Sneezing fits are the most common symptom that you have allergic rhinitis. You may experience bouts of sneezing after you wake up in the morning. Other common symptoms include runny nose, nasal congestion, itchy or watery eyes. This could also be due to seasonal rhinitis, which is characterized by frequent attacks of sneezing. If you’re a victim of perennial rhinitis, you’re more likely to experience symptoms when you inhale specific antigens, such as house dust mite, pet hair, and fungal spores.
- Infections
Infections caused by viruses such as the common cold and flu can also make you sneeze. There are more than 200 different viruses that can cause the common cold. However, most colds are the result of the rhinovirus.
Sneezing may well be a symptom of an upper respiratory tract infection, and it usually affects people with weakened immune system. You may also be a victim of viral infections, which cause infectious rhinitis. This usually happens due to rhinoviruses and adenoviruses. Your rhinitis may also be due to bacterial infections, but sneezing in this case is usually associated with sinusitis. Fungal infections are rare but possible, and lead to rhinitis and constant sneezing as these infections are more common in people with impaired immune system
- Nasal irritants
This may include things like dirt and debris that are contained in the air. Pollen as well can cause you to sneeze. At all times these foreign bodies are not required in your body, when they enter the nose, they irritate causing you to sneeze in order to get rid of them.
Systemic, airborne, or ingested irritants can lead to constant sneezing if you don’t do anything to limit your exposure to those irritants. Some of the most common triggers are organic and inorganic dusts, environmental pollution, spicy foods, perfumes, cigarette smoke, dry weather, stress, and hormonal changes.
- Corticosteroids in nasal spray
Nasal spray when used in excess, it may cause you some problems. It contains corticosteroids which when inhaled in excess they are harmful. Nasal spray is used to control stuffy nose or a runny nose. When you use it, make sure you do this in minimal.
Nasal sprays that have a corticosteroid in them reduce inflammation in your nasal passages and decrease the frequency of sneezing. People with allergies often use these sprays.
- drug withdrawal
This is common to people who have a history of allergy. They usually react to contents in certain drugs and you may find a person developing a rush, fever or even sneezing. In case you react to a certain drug, it is important that you talk to your doctor for better advice.
Using certain medications may also lead to drug-induced rhinitis and cause constant sneezing. Some of the culprits are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, nasal decongestants, beta-blockers, antidepressants, sedatives, drugs for erectile dysfunction, and oral contraceptives.
- Other Causes
You may also experience sneezing and other allergy related symptoms due to several other causes not mentioned above. This may include the following:
- Nasal polyps
- Neurological conditions
- Exposure to chlorinated pool water
- trauma to the nose
- breathing cold air
- entrance of water in the nose
- tobacco sniffing
- cocaine sniffing
How to Stop Sneezing in the Morning
Sneezing is a common human problem that may occur due to different reasons. Early morning sneezing is a special kind of a disorder, in which a person starts to sneeze either immediately after waking up or while getting out of the bed.
Running nose, itchy eyes and nasal congestion are some of the common symptoms that many people have together with sneezing. In terms of medical science, there can be many reasons for this early morning sneezing issue, and allergies of many kinds are the most powerful reasons for the disorder to occur.
As per the doctors and physicians, following are the chief reasons for the issue of early morning sneezing:
- Allergic rhinitis is the most significant reason for early morning sneezing. It is basically an allergy which is caused by the dust that is available everywhere.
- Non-allergic rhinitis is another important cause for sneezing in which the eosinophilia syndrome is the base reason. It is non-allergic by nature; still it is a very troublesome reason.
- The climatic or environmental conditions are a very common factor that leads to sneezing early in the morning. It includes dry air; air conditioned air, or congestion in the nasal passage that could be the chief reasons.
- Reaction due to non-suitable drugs is also one more reason for this disease to occur. Sinus also causes a terrible amount of problems of early morning sneezing. The disease is severe; but it has quite a few trusted remedies.
Some of the most effective remedies include the ones that are as mentioned below, read on:
Fennel Tea: Fennel seeds are believed to have a good quantity of antioxidants that can be obtained in the form of herbal tea. The fennel tea builds the resistance power against the allergy that causes early morning sneezing.
Black Pepper: The hot effect of the black pepper can be very effective in getting rid of the symptoms as well as troubles of morning coughing and sneezing. Medical science, especially Ayurvedic treatment, suggests many ways of using black pepper to get rid of many diseases, and sneezing is one of them.
Ginger: Apart from being a strong herb, ginger has some very strong elements that are very effective in treating cough and cold. It also works fine against early morning sneezing. However, the doctors also prescribe chewing a small piece of ginger to get rid of coughing.
Chamomile Tea: The chamomile seed is obtained from a flower of the daisy family. It has been found effective against strong cough and cold. Its anti-irritant property can be very effective in overcoming regular fits of morning sneezing. Besides, it also has antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties that are very effective in the treatment of cough and sneeze.
Steam Inhalation: Though an old technique, inhaling steam is very effective in getting rid of the constant early morning sneezing problem. The steam can be prepared by using some medication and then the suffering person can inhale it to get the goodness of the steam. It can be very effective in overcoming the factors that cause sneezing in the morning.
Turmeric: Among many benefits of turmeric, it also fights well against sneezing. Medical science refers to quite a few ways of getting the goodness of turmeric to get rid of the disease
Garlic: Prepare a paste of garlic and cloves and inhale the strong fragrance to develop a resistance against sneezing. It works well too
Honey and Lemon: Add the goodness of honey and lemon to some tea to prepare a deadly drink that can have a decisive fight against sneezing. Its antioxidant properties can be very effective in curing the issue in the best way possible
Bitter Gourd: Though bitter gourd does not taste pleasant, it has some very good medicinal properties. Take bitter gourd in your meals regularly to get rid of the disease quicker.
How to Stop Sneezing from Allergies
The problem with sneezing is that it usually doesn’t come alone. You will also experience issues such as fatigue, lack of concentration, nasal irritation, runny nose, and red eyes. It is therefore important to do something to stop sneezing. There are best ways you may use stop sneezing that is caused by allergies. T
Medical Treatment on how to stop sneezing from allergy
You can find several medications to deal with allergies and infections. You can always start with OTC medications called antihistamines to suppress your symptoms. Zyrtec and Claritin are two common options here. Using allergy shots may be a suitable choice that involves exposing your body to specific allergens in small, manageable doses to ensure your immune system doesn’t react to it.
Home Remedies on How to Stop Sneezing
You can try a number of things at home to stop sneezing and control other symptoms. For instance:
- You may try fennel tea which has natural anti-viral and antibiotic properties; fennel can help clear upper respiratory infection and stop sneezing. Simply add a couple of teaspoons of crushed fennel seeds to a boiled cup of water and let them stay there for 15 minutes. Strain it and drink a couple of cups daily to stop sneezing. Be sure to boil the water before adding the seeds.
- Also try Chamomile tea which has antihistamine properties, so drinking a cup of chamomile tea will help stop sneezing caused by allergies. Simply add a teaspoon of dried chamomile flowers to a cup of boiling water. Add some honey to it and let it boil for a few minutes. Drink it twice a day to stop constant sneezing.
- Also, garlic may help. It is a suitable choice to clear your upper respiratory infection, all thanks to its natural antiviral and antibiotic properties. Simply crush four garlic cloves to make paste and then take deep breaths to inhale its fragrance.
- Vitamin C: You can add fruits rich in vitamin C to stop sneezing. It works because Vitamin C helps lower the production of histamine. A glass of orange juice will do the trick.
- Oil of oregano: It has antifungal, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-parasitic properties, so it proves beneficial in fighting sinusitis. The ingredients such as thymol and carvacrol make oil of oregano a suitable choice to strengthen your immune system. Simply add a couple of drops of oil of oregano in a glass of juice and drink it once a day.
How to Prevent Constant Sneezing
You need to understand that it is going to take a few days to clear your symptoms if they are caused by the flu or another infection. To avoid dealing with the hassle caused by constant sneezing, you can take certain steps.
- Move your outdoor workout to dusk.
Save outdoor exercise for the evening. Not only do many people with allergies experience more sneezing and itching in the morning, but many trees release their pollen at first light, and ragweed pollen tends to fly most thickly at midday—so stick to end-of-day strolls.
- Change your clothes when you come home.
You already know to leave windows shut and to avoid spending time outdoors on windy, sunny, pollen-infested days, but don’t forget that you drag pollen into your home on your clothes and shoes even if you can’t see it. Toss soiled clothes in the hamper immediately; even better, jump in the shower.
- Make sure your appliances have HEPA filters.
If you don’t have a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter in your vacuum cleaner, you may be making your symptoms worse by stirring up pollen that has settled on your floor and furniture. Using HEPA filters in your air conditioner or heating system can also help ease allergy symptoms. Some experts suggest placing a freestanding air purifier with a HEPA filter in a high-traffic area.
- Change your car’s cabin air filter.
It is a good idea to do this yearly. Older filters can blast pollen into your face.
- Take meds at night, not in the morning.
Hay fever symptoms such as runny nose, scratchy throat, and sneezing typically are at their worst in the morning. What helps for most people: taking medication at bedtime, says Richard Martin, MD, at National Jewish Health in Denver.
- Know when to break out the drugs.
It’s time to try conventional medicine. If you have symptoms only occasionally, you’ll most likely need an over-the-counter antihistamine, a nasal decongestant spray, or both; if you suffer throughout the season, you may need to substitute or add a prescription steroid spray.
More references
- Conditions that causes sneezing: http://www.healthline.com/symptom/sneezing
- Sneezing: https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003060.htm