“You can get sick from holding in a sneeze.”

The idea that stifling a sneeze can lead to illness is a common misconception, likely stemming from a natural aversion to the forceful expulsion of air and particles. The act of sneezing is our body's way of clearing irritants from the nasal passages, and interrupting this powerful reflex feels inherently wrong, leading many to believe it must have serious negative consequences beyond mere discomfort. This feeling of intense pressure and the body's strong urge to sneeze can easily be misinterpreted as a sign that something harmful is building up inside.

Scientifically, holding in a sneeze does not cause you to catch a cold or the flu. These illnesses are caused by viruses, not by internal pressure or blocked bodily expulsions. While the internal pressure generated by a suppressed sneeze is significant, reaching up to 24 times that of a normal sneeze, the body is generally robust enough to handle it without contracting an infectious disease. In rare cases, the pressure can lead to minor issues such as a ruptured eardrum, a burst blood vessel in the eye, or even damage to the throat, but these are typically temporary injuries and not an infection.

People commonly believe this myth due to a conflation of discomfort with disease, and perhaps an overestimation of the body's fragility. The immediate, intense pressure and the unpleasant sensation of suppressing a sneeze can feel alarming, prompting an assumption that such an unnatural act must have dire health repercussions. Furthermore, anecdotal stories and general health anxieties likely contribute to the persistence of this misconception, even though there is no scientific basis to link holding in a sneeze with contracting an infectious illness. It is generally safer to let a sneeze out, ideally into a tissue or the crook of your arm, to prevent the spread of germs to others.