'Sneeziness'

[Heathcliff]

I've been wondering lately what makes a non-specific 'sneezy person'. I mean- some people sneeze more than others because they have allergies, or they get colds more often... but is there a general quality of 'sneeziness' that means someone's nose is more sensitive to tickles, and makes them more likely to sneeze when not allergic or ill?

I'm a very non-sneezy guy. Even without my mental block I would not sneeze much- I know this because when I'm alone, and I actually want to sneeze, the urge will often go away and not come back.

However, for example- I have a friend who is much more sneezy. He says he doesn't have hayfever, but tends to sneeze quite frequently. His pre-sneeze expressions look rather itchy, as though it is hard for him to resist a sneeze once it begins to build up. He says that getting water or dust up his nose makes him sneeze- and they will regularly turn into multiples of 3 or more sneezes.

So, what are your thoughts? Do you think there's such a thing as a generally sneezy person? Or is most sneeziness caused by allergies/colds?

Also, do you think sneeziness runs in families? (I realise family sneezes is not our favourite topic around here, but it is an interesting question.) If you are particularly sneezy, are your parents like that too?

[Lalena]

This is an excellent question! I've noticed this as well, that certain people are sneezier than others, but I always just assumed it was allergies because I was too chicken to ask whether or not the sneezy people suffered from allergies.

I think it must have something to do with how thin and sensitive our nasal passages are. Whether this is hereditary or not I can not say. I would say that aside from my allergies I have an average level of "sneeziness" while my brother, unfortunately, is well above average. My mom hardly ever sneezes (thank god) but my dad is a bit sneezier, although both my brother and I are more sneezy than either of my parents. Based on my family alone, I would say sneeziness does not run in the family.

I would love to hear what other people think about this topic! Great thread!

[stevie_sloth]

Hmm, I think there may be a genetic disposition to sneeziness...maybe. My mum is a sneezy person. My dad isn't. I am.

But then I don't know if sneeziness IS actually caused by external factors such as allergies or something that makes the person sneeze but they don't know what it is and it doesn't generally cause any other symptoms typical of allergies like sniffles or a runny or blocked nose.

My partner I used to think was a sneezy person. She would sneeze every single day without fail, and usually at least 5-10 times. This was when we lived in a place where there are more allergens...but she didn't seem to actually have allergies as such, or hay fever.

When we moved to where we live now, she stopped sneezing anywhere near as much, but when we go on vacation to various regular places, she does sneeze a lot more...more like how she used to. Everyday and at least 5 times, and usually more.

I also used to have a friend who would sneeze every morning about 20 times in a row. Not really fast sneezes, but just prolonged sneeziness. Every single morning whenever she'd sleep over she would sneeze like this. Otherwise, she never sneezed though. Just in the morning

I am also a morning sneezer. Always a few sneezes every morning after I wake up. Sometimes I have really sneezy days too, but there's nothing that I'm specifically aware of that's making me sneeze. Weirdly, I sneeze much less when I'm on vacation in the places that make my partner sneeze a lot more frequently.

So...yeah!

[TheCakeIsAlive]

I tend to sneeze a couple of times a day (~4 on average) regardless of environment, rendering it unlikely it's something other than random sneezing. So yes, I think there is something like a generally sneezy person. Actually I've always assumed that most sneezing was "random", as in not caused by allergies or colds... until meeting people who basically don't sneeze outside of allergy season, except when they have a cold.

Hmmm... I don't pay particular attention to the sneezing of the rest of my family (yes I know, shocking ), but they all have allergies so I can't really say much about it I'm afraid. I'd say they're not particularly randomly sneezy but I can't say it with any sort of certainty.

[shy guy]

In my experience there certainly does seem to be a greater tendency toward sneeziness in some individuals, not related to external factors such as allergens. I consider myself to be quite sneezy. On average I sneeze between 5 to 10 times a day, and with several of those occurring first thing in the morning. I know quite a few other people who are morning sneezers, and tend to think that morning sneeziness is a category unto itself, perhaps caused by nasal congestion that occurs while sleeping. Other than that, I think sneezy people just have more sensitive noses, or a more active sneeze reflex. But regardless of the reasons, it certainly is a fun topic to think about!

[Butch]

Hmm...Interesting question.

I can only speak from personal experience. I was born with a deviated septum. Even as a child, I couldn't blow my nose. I would watch other people do so, and I'd try and nothing would happen. I didn't have surgery on my nose until I was older, but the surgery made me sneezier.. I guess because my nasal passages were clear for once? I really don't know the answer.

I'm curious to see what other people say.

[Chanel_no5]

Absolutely, some people tend to have more sensitive noses and therefore be "sneezier" than others, regardless of allergies or colds.

I mean, some people are very ticklish, and others aren't. Some people are very sensitive to pain, others aren't. Some people have very sensitive skin, others don't.

And some people are sneezier than others. *shrug*

[Lalena]

I mean, some people are very ticklish, and others aren't. Some people are very sensitive to pain, others aren't. Some people have very sensitive skin, others don't.

And some people are sneezier than others. *shrug*

Ha Ha! Love it!

[tma]

hmmmm... I actually do remember wondering about this from a different perspective when I was a teen... because unfortunately during a particular cold season the certain symptoms went to the "wrong people". Just not right *pout*

Anyway... - I'm adopted so that doesn't help- but I'd say I'm "average-ish" sort of... it's not an everyday occurance- but there are random sneezes as well as cold/allergy. I'm not photic per sey- but there are times that I can use it.

If I see it with other people- I generally don't think allergies or cold unless there is a lot.

There is hope though for people who might want more (or for people for whom more is wanted) .... amount has changed (increased) for me over time, and other I know that is true of others too... not always increase, but- hope springs eternal.

[NoV]

I would definitely agree that some people are more sneezy than others. Some just seem to have a more sensitive nose, regardless of whetner they are ill or have allergies. I can think of several people who I know who are just more prone to sneezing. I also believe that specific sneezing styles can run in families.

[shy guy]

I was born with a deviated septum. Even as a child, I couldn't blow my nose. I would watch other people do so, and I'd try and nothing would happen. I didn't have surgery on my nose until I was older, but the surgery made me sneezier.. I guess because my nasal passages were clear for once? I really don't know the answer.

The same thing happened to me! The change in sneeziness was quite dramatic, and I almost never get sinus headaches anymore, so I guess you could say it was a win-win for me.

[kilala]

I have always thought of 'sneeziness' meaning someone who just has a really sensitive nose, like you poke at their nose and they sneeze, or they just see a flower or cat and they sneeze. That kind of stuff may not happen IRL though. I find that quality very endearing regardless.

I only sneeze on average 3-7 times a day, it really depends on if I'm working, because I am very sensitive to the hamsters bedding and stuff.

[Chanel_no5]

That kind of stuff may not happen IRL though.

Oh dear it does!! I had a classmate (real pretty brunette) who ALWAYS sneezed if she touched the wings of her nose in a certain way - she had no allergies and it didn't matter if she had a cold or not, she would sneeze at the slightest brush at her nose's wings. She was really pretty and had a lovely sneeze as well.

I only sneeze on average 3-7 times a day

Um.. that's a lot to me, since I don't even sneeze every day. So in my eyes, you would qualify as a "sneezy" person.

[count tiszula]

Some people have big noses, some have sensitive, sneezy noses. Moreover, since we all inherit the shape of our noses, it is to be assumed that sneeziness is inherited too [there being no ideological reason against it as there is against inherited intelligence, say].

Since I was quite young I have been envious of people sneezier than I. Why did people at school sneeze four times in a row when I could only manage two if I was lucky; why did games I played involving crawling around the floor make other people sneeze but not me?

As for hay fever, why didn't other people realise how lucky they were? I found fairly soon that some people have so many sneeze causes that practically you can't identify which is which or whether they are just super-sneezy. But people who can make themselves sneeze just by touching their noses or vaguely sticking a hair or a hankie up a nostril for an attosecond instead of having to concentrate on correct tickling for ten minutes or so are clearly sneezy.

Then some people just seem to have less control over themselves than others; they wave their hands wildly and knock things over, they laugh and indeed cry hysterically even when sober, and they sneeze violently and in uncontrollable fits for no discernible reason. I had a friend like this who as well as everything else had that vasodilatory rhinitis or whatever it's called so that she virtually had a sneezing fit after eating or drinking anything; unprompted, she more than once complained that she got it from her parents; her father had the same fits of a dozen or more, while her mother had huge hay fevery sneezes...

[MyOwnPrivateSFC]

I don't know that "sneeziness" and nose-sensitivity are necessarily related. Or, rather, people with sensitive noses sneeze probably more often than other people, but people who sneeze a lot don't necessarily have very sensitive noses. Like one of those math problems in school: all tigers are cats, but not all cats are tigers.

For myself, I would consider myself a pretty sneezy person. I usually sneeze a double at least once or twice a day, and often one or two singles as well. Not many at all to me, but from what I've seen here, a lot to many people. And all of my sneezes are "random" sneezes: I don't have any allergies, and I'm not including how I sneeze when I have a cold. So I'd say an average of at minimum 3 "random" sneezes per day. However, my nose isn't particularly sentitive to stimuli at all: I can think of only one scent that makes me sneeze even occasionally (one particular type of incense, and only when it's concentrated on the stick, rather than diffused in the air), and touching my nose--even tickling it--doesn't have any effect at all. Even inducing takes me a while. So, I would say that I'm a sneezy person with a very not-sensitive nose.

[Chanel_no5]

So, I would say that I'm a sneezy person with a very not-sensitive nose.

I'd buy that. As someone wise (Dr. Nic) once said to me, "attractive women comes in all shapes and sizes", that's about the same thing for sneezy people. They can be sneezy in some situations and not in others, have horrible allergies or just sneeze lots from no apparant stimuli... sneezy people are sneezy. Just so. I suppose.

[arrowswift]

I'm a sneezy person with a very sensitive nose, and I also have seasonal allergies. I do a lot of cooking, and I'm pretty much guaranteed to sneeze a few times when I do because I get a little overzealous with the spices.

Meanwhile, no one in my family (THANK THE LORD) seems to be more sneezy than the norm. My partner's nose seems to be very sensitive to artificial perfumes, air fresheners, and the like, but he doesn't have allergies and is otherwise not very sneezy. Neither are his folks. My friends who are sneezy don't seem to come from families with allergies, either.

So there may be a relationship, but it's not something I've observed in my own surroundings.

[atchoum]

Once again a very perceptive and gently challenging topic from Heathcliff. I think most sneeze fetishist would have reflected on how much … or how little .. different people sneeze. Some call it sneeziness, others think about varying sneezecounts, but it comes down to the same thing. You see that with a new colleague: within a few weeks you can tell if you are go be treated with sneezes most days… or once in a while if you are lucky… or virtually never!

All the comments have added a lot to the variations in sneeziness, but there was another aspect I’d like to go into : that some people feel that a sneeze is coming… and in fact it never comes. It reminds me of what I’ve read about photic sneezing where people tell how it affects them and some claim that they can only sneeze if they look up to a strong light. That’s fine for those who have the reflex, but what about those who don’t?

It reminds me of a couple of people I have known who appear to sneeze very little. One colleague I started working with about ten years ago and worked pretty consistently with for about eighteenth months. Not once in that period was there a single sneeze. Finally I was able to direct the conversation onto the topic of sneezing and asking if this colleague actually ever sneezed. The answer was that the presneeze feeling almost never converted into an actual sneeze, and for this to happen it was necessary for there to be a cold, and even then there were not many sneezes at all.

Another acquaintance, a doctor in fact, claimed never to sneeze (is this possible?). So I think we may have come up with another variation : on those who can convert presneeze tickles easily into actual sneezes, and those who can’t. May rate a poll …

[Akahana]

i think that there are people who are just more sensitive than others. on of my classmates sneezes at least twice every class, and I had two classes with him. he told me he didn't have allergies and was only sick once or twice. So, yes, he's just a sneezy person.

[Nicole]

As someone wise (Dr. Nic) once said to me, "attractive women comes in all shapes and sizes"