Here’s something to think about the next time a stranger on the subway is suddenly seized by a sneezing fit: A new report [subscription required] describes people who experience uncontrollable sneezing when thinking about sex, or after doing the deed itself. The researchers, who conducted an admittedly unscientific survey by scouring Internet chat rooms, believe that this strange phenomenon is more common than reported.
Harold Maxwell and Mahmood Bhutta of West Middlesex University Hospital in London decided to investigate the issue after one patient, a middle-aged man, complained of uncontrollable fits of sneezing when thinking about sex. Searching through the medical literature, they could find only one similar case of a man who reported severe sneezing after orgasm. Perhaps the phenomenon is under-reported because people who suffer from it are embarrassed, they thought.
So the researchers turned to the anonymity of the Web: After a survey of chatrooms, the researchers found 17 people who reported sneezing triggered by sexual thoughts, and three who reported sneezing triggered by orgasm.
The researchers think the link between sex and sneezing is a problem with the parasympathetic nervous system, which controls a slew of involuntary reflexes, including those associated with sexual arousal and those controlled by cranial nerves, such as sneezing. The parasympathetic nervous system also controls reflexes involved in digestion and vision. No wonder many people (up to 25 percent, in a Swedish study) report sneezing induced by bright lights (photic sneeze reflex) and a few people even report sneezing caused by a full stomach.
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Image: flickr / Mussels
January 8th, 2009 at 10:10 am
I was interested to read an article in The Guardian recently regarding sex induced sneezing. My husband starts to sneeze as soon as his hand comes into contact with my pubic hair. It has become a real joke between us but we thought he was the only one. Glad to hear he is not unique.
January 17th, 2009 at 12:47 am
I sneeze everytime I get super-erotically sexually aroused.
I thought perhaps I was allergic to sex.
It’s actually kind of funny if you think about it.
Orgasming is like sneezing.
So there’s a sneeze at the beginning and a sneeze at the end!
Who would have thought …
October 12th, 2009 at 5:47 am
To: I have a remedy
I too am a chronic uncontrollable sneezer and can relate to every one of your posts. Nothing worked for me either when I would take allergy medicines and nasal sprays. Please be open-minded when I say this, even you parents who are opposed to illegal drugs. One day this past summer I had been suffering from a day of sneezing when my friend offered me a pill of Ecstasy to do just as a fun drug without knowing it would help me with my sinuses. After I took the pill, about 30 minutes later my sinuses completely dried up and stopped sneezing and I could breathe so easily. Oh my! I was so happy (thats what the drug helps with anyways) but I was so impressed with the fact it took away the sinus itch that you normally have. Now I really dont do drugs, only on rare special occasions and live a pretty clean life, I am 36 yrs old and pretty healthy, have been an athlete in my past. Lately, the past few weeks my sinuses started getting bad as the Santa Ana winds blow in from the high desert here in San Diego, CA and I have had more days now lately where my sinuses flared up and a lot of sneezing again, so I got another ecstasy pill to take when I had another spell of sneezing and I could have a day off from work to test it out. This time I only took half of the pill and Lo and behold it worked again!
I’m not sure if I want to take this drug very much and may just experiment with taking as little as possible to see it it still works. Like a half or less of the tablet. I am going to give you a quote from a person who used ecstasy a lot and let her describe it, but there is something in that drug that dries you up and I think someone who know about pharmacy & tests pharmaceuticals could look into it further, may be a way to get a pill or liquid dose that could help us all out.
Here is her excerpt: (”I took E every day for 2 years, & it messed me up bad, I had a complete mental breakdown. When I first started doing it it was awesome. I loved it so much I got hooked. It is a mood enhancer, it increases the seratonin in your brain, which makes you feel happy, euphoric, peaceful, & loving. If you abuse it like I did though, the seratonin has a hard time replenishing itself, & you get the opposite affects, paranoia, depression, anxiety. So if you do decide to try it, only do it occasionally, like on the weekends, & you only need 1 tablet the 1st time. I still do it, but only 3 times a week, & my buzz is wicked again, like it used to be.”)
So I recommend getting some for those times when you start sneezing and can have some time to mellow out without having to work too much. That’s my 2 cents for what its worth, and I’m happy I’ve discovered something that works for me and will for you too. Just do it in moderation please.
October 17th, 2009 at 6:14 pm
I sneeze after orgasm. I also sneeze after a filling meal. I was told years ago by a friend that it was caused by an adrenal firing as the body senses a need for “action” (orgasm or digestion). That made sense to me. Regardless, it has in no way impaired my sex or dining experiences.
November 12th, 2009 at 2:27 am
I am almost 40 years old and I started doing this about 10 years ago. It only happens when I think about a certain sexual act with a woman. I usually sneeze two to three times when it happens.