Stifling dangers???

[BigTymePlayer25]

I've read a few stories online over the past several years of people really hurting themselves while holding in a big sneeze.

I had a friend a few years back that watched me stifle a few sneezes and said "be careful that could cause an aneurysm"!!! I googled it and sure enough there have been some cases of that and other scary things happening. Some people have damaged their ears and their throats.

I usually let out my sneezes but if I'm in a quiet place like church or in a meeting sitting close to someone I'll hold it in. I have spring allergies so my big fits get embarrassing at times so stifling has always been a good option. And now with the covid crisis I don't want to even let out a big sneeze in public for fear of freaking everyone out.

should I try to break my bad habit of stifling at times? Or is the risk so small that I shouldn't worry about it? 

 

[Infernal]

I was literally just talking to my partner about this a couple of days ago. I've been a habitual stifler my entire life (so 20+ years) and haven't ever had an issue, but reading horror stories about people destroying their throats by stifling is a scary prospect. I'd wager for most people, there isn't a high risk associated with it, but I don't know which factors contribute to that. 

Edited January 23, 2021 by Gee

[•.*°•☆. Q .☆•°*.•]

most commonly i've heard of ppl damaging their ear drums that way. idk, i think probably it's not healthy but also i only have anecdotal evidence. probably something to look up actual research on if you're really concerned. 

[NoV]

As someone who will normally stifle if they are around people so as to avoid the embarrassment factor, I dislike reading these horror stories. Sometimes stifling does really make my throat hurt and I do worry that one time it will be a bit more serious. For the most part, I think it is probably OK, but all medical advice seems to point to it not being a good idea.