I'll go ahead and repost an edited version of my comment under the "Natural Sneezasters" post:
Speaking of the "bright light making you sneeze." I've had an extreme version of this all my life. My mom still retells stories of her rolling me out onto the street in my stroller and me sneezing so hard that my pacifier would fly out. Back then, they used the term "allergic to the sun" to describe it.
To this day, stepping out into a bright light from a dark place is 90% likely to make me sneeze hard, twice. (It's almost always exactly twice.)
But it gets weirder. My wife has this too. And now, so do our kids. It's quite entertaining to watch our family step out into the sun together, only to immediately break into a sneezing fit.
I've looked this up a few years ago, and it's a legitimate thing called "photic sneeze reflex," or, more adorably, the ACHOO syndrome (I'm not making any of this up). Wikipedia says it affects between 18--35% of people. It also means I'd probably have a harder time than most people in getting certified as an airline pilot, for whom it's an elevated risk factor on account of the whole "Sneezing uncontrollably upon exiting the cloud layer while piloting a giant metal tube with hundreds of peope inside."
On the plus side, whenever I experience that annoying "want to sneeze but can't quite do it" moment, it's enough for me to look at a bright source of light to unleaseh the sneeze.
I love it, and this is exactly why I want folks to engage in the comments. There's like only so much I can do in a brief email, but the magic is frequently here, where you (or someone else) will share an experience that's relevant (or, failing that, you'll at least find some juvenile fart jokes).
I thought about ACHOO a lot and the genetic component, but spent the rest of my mental bandwidth finding decent cartoon sneezes.
I'm a definite sun sneezer. My sun triggered sneezes are usually only one or two. However, my "normal" sneezes in allergy season or whatever dusty conditions are never singles nor even doubles. Whenever I have a sneeze come on that isn't a sun sneeze, it's going to be 6 to 10 sneezes with 15 to 30 seconds between them. It's pretty annoying and my office coworkers think I'm having some bazaar attack or something. Whatever nerves in my brain sense that I've sneezed sufficiently and can stop must need new batteries or something.
Had the standard double sun sneeze earlier today walking in the woods - top 10 day with sunshine, leafless trees, and a dirt path. Was a ways into the walk so don’t know why it waited till then but they were very satisfying.
Just bright lights and stuff like pepper, but even then it's tenuous. Every now and then I'll just sort of sneeze, though, and I can't really pinpoint why.
My mom is a massive sun sneezer! One of my boys and I have more mild reactions. However, I am highly susceptible to sneezing by suggestion (my nose tingled reading this post) or by association (I’ll sneeze as soon as someone else does). Perhaps ideas for future posts?
Dang, I think you've got one here. I was just talking with Kristi about this (see the other comments here - some fellow Sun sneezers among us!), and she had this happen at the start of reading this!
I'm a sun sneezer.
Boom, we probably have some long lost relative who was the last known ancestor of all us Sun sneezers.
Deja vu!
I'll go ahead and repost an edited version of my comment under the "Natural Sneezasters" post:
Speaking of the "bright light making you sneeze." I've had an extreme version of this all my life. My mom still retells stories of her rolling me out onto the street in my stroller and me sneezing so hard that my pacifier would fly out. Back then, they used the term "allergic to the sun" to describe it.
To this day, stepping out into a bright light from a dark place is 90% likely to make me sneeze hard, twice. (It's almost always exactly twice.)
But it gets weirder. My wife has this too. And now, so do our kids. It's quite entertaining to watch our family step out into the sun together, only to immediately break into a sneezing fit.
I've looked this up a few years ago, and it's a legitimate thing called "photic sneeze reflex," or, more adorably, the ACHOO syndrome (I'm not making any of this up). Wikipedia says it affects between 18--35% of people. It also means I'd probably have a harder time than most people in getting certified as an airline pilot, for whom it's an elevated risk factor on account of the whole "Sneezing uncontrollably upon exiting the cloud layer while piloting a giant metal tube with hundreds of peope inside."
On the plus side, whenever I experience that annoying "want to sneeze but can't quite do it" moment, it's enough for me to look at a bright source of light to unleaseh the sneeze.
I love it, and this is exactly why I want folks to engage in the comments. There's like only so much I can do in a brief email, but the magic is frequently here, where you (or someone else) will share an experience that's relevant (or, failing that, you'll at least find some juvenile fart jokes).
I thought about ACHOO a lot and the genetic component, but spent the rest of my mental bandwidth finding decent cartoon sneezes.
Anyone have such forceful sneezes their upper chest hurts?
I've had a few, but they're not common. Does this happen to you?
I'm a definite sun sneezer. My sun triggered sneezes are usually only one or two. However, my "normal" sneezes in allergy season or whatever dusty conditions are never singles nor even doubles. Whenever I have a sneeze come on that isn't a sun sneeze, it's going to be 6 to 10 sneezes with 15 to 30 seconds between them. It's pretty annoying and my office coworkers think I'm having some bazaar attack or something. Whatever nerves in my brain sense that I've sneezed sufficiently and can stop must need new batteries or something.
That's so interesting, Bobby! I wonder what triggers the multiple sneeze syndrome. Is this going to turn into a sneeze blog?!?
Thanks for the original question that sent us down this rabbit hole!
Had the standard double sun sneeze earlier today walking in the woods - top 10 day with sunshine, leafless trees, and a dirt path. Was a ways into the walk so don’t know why it waited till then but they were very satisfying.
I've been hitting 3 sneezes of late. I'm not sure why, but they almost always seem to come in threes.
Ah, yes, I'm a sun sneezer, too. It always makes me laugh! :)
Nice. Does anything else make you sneeze? Anything odd?
Just dust and perfume, which seem common enough. (Why? How about you? :)
Just bright lights and stuff like pepper, but even then it's tenuous. Every now and then I'll just sort of sneeze, though, and I can't really pinpoint why.
My mom is a massive sun sneezer! One of my boys and I have more mild reactions. However, I am highly susceptible to sneezing by suggestion (my nose tingled reading this post) or by association (I’ll sneeze as soon as someone else does). Perhaps ideas for future posts?
Dang, I think you've got one here. I was just talking with Kristi about this (see the other comments here - some fellow Sun sneezers among us!), and she had this happen at the start of reading this!
I'm a fellow sun sneezer, and funnily enough, I sneezed when I started reading this post. Coincidence? I'm skeptical.
Now you've got me wondering if psychosomatic sneezing is a thing!
Turns out: yep.
Sneezes can also be triggered by allergens (e.g. ragweed) that, in their most extreme state, result in hay fever.
Hay you!