skip to content skip to search skip to navigation Listen Live skip to logon

Why does looking up make you sneeze?

sneeze-sml.jpgQuestion

This is one from my god-daughter: when you get a really bad tickle in your nose and you’re about to sneeze, why does it stop when you look up?
Shane, Stratford

Answer

** Definitive **
Name: Louie, Biggin Hill
Qualification: I’m at school and I listen!
Answer: Usually, all your five senses are working together. But when you are looking at the sun, it temporarily blinds you and that heightens all of your other senses. That means you can feel the itch more vividly and you’re more likely to be able to sneeze and get rid of the itch.

In this Section