Breathing, sneezing, coughing, and blowing your nose probably seem like second nature to you, and you probably don’t give much thought to any of these “natural” occurrences. But maybe you should.
It’s actually possible to injure yourself by coughing and sneezing incorrectly, and the way you blow your nose can affect how long you’re sick.
When sneezing and coughing become dangerous
Back injuries are one of the most common “side effects” of sneezing and coughing. Baseball player Sammy Sosa knows this first-hand. In 2004, when he was playing for the Chicago Cubs, two sneezes sent his back into spasms, causing him to need a chair to prop himself up. The injury, a strained ligament in his lower back, caused him to miss part of the season.
A strong coughing or sneezing fit can lead to pain (or spasms) in the upper or lower back due to its forceful nature, not only throughout the torso but also in the abdomen. This pressure is so intense that it can actually herniate a weakened spinal disc.
How to “A-Choo” Safely
Just before you feel like you are going to cough or sneeze, take a few seconds to get your back into the correct position. Doing so will protect your back and help keep any existing pain to a minimum.
- Lean back slightly, placing one hand behind your back for support.
- When you sneeze or cough, bend your knees slightly.
- You can also (instead of up) stand upright against a wall or door to prevent your back from lurching forward when you sneeze or cough.
Blowing your nose: good or bad?
Common sense would tell us that blowing your nose during a cold would help kill off some of the disease-causing bacteria or viruses found in the mucus, helping us feel better faster. But it turns out that this may not be entirely true.
According to Dr. Owen Hendley and a team of researchers from the University of Virginia and Aarhus University in Denmark, blowing your nose can cause mucus to back up into your sinus cavities.
Not surprisingly, blowing your nose creates a great deal of pressure in your nose, more than seven times more pressure than sneezing or coughing.
The researchers placed an opaque dye in the rear nasal cavities of 10 study participants to determine if the fluid would enter the nasal cavities. Three of the volunteers were asked to cough, three were induced to sneeze, and four blew their noses. After measuring the movement of the fluid with a CT scan, Hendley said:
“In those who coughed or sneezed, there was no dye in any of the sinuses. And in the four of those who blew their nose, there was dye in one or more of the sinuses… with a blow to the nose, Given the amount of pressure and how long it lasted, it could move a milliliter of nasal mucus into the sinuses.”
The problem with this, Hendley said, is that “if you pass mucus in your sinuses during a cold, which I suspect you will, then not only is it mucus, but it likely contains bacteria, viruses, and may also contain mediators.”
“It seems quite likely that if you blow your nose, then there’s a chance your cold is going to get worse,” he said.
How to blow your nose correctly
Sometimes, however, the relief that blowing your nose brings can be enough to risk a potentially longer cold. When you blow your nose, there is a proper technique that can minimize the risk of mucus back up your sinuses and reduce the risk of injury.
When you consider that adults blow their noses an average of 45 times a day during the first three days of a cold, proper technique could make all the difference.
- Blow your nose gently. Blowing too hard creates even more pressure that can force infectious mucus into the ears and sinuses.
- Avoid the “both nostrils open” strike. Instead…
- Press a finger over one nostril.
- Gently blow your nose into a tissue through the open nostril.
- Switch your finger to close the opposite nostril and repeat.
- Although you’ll feel more “full” when you wake up (after lying down all night), don’t blow your nose immediately. It is best to wait five to 10 minutes after sitting upright before doing this.
- Drink much liquid. This will make it easier to remove the mucus by gently blowing. Blowing your nose after taking a steamy shower can also help.
- Use tissue paper instead of cloth tissue. A used tissue is a breeding ground for germs, and when you reuse it, you spread them all over your face and hands.
- Only use a tissue once and then throw it away. This minimizes the risk of putting germs back on your face and hands.
- Wash your hands when you’re done, as germs from your nose and tissue will transfer to your fingers while you’re blowing.