How to Trigger a Sneeze

Have you ever felt a sneeze building up, but it just won't escape, leaving you squirming in discomfort? Or perhaps you need to force a sneeze before giving a speech, attending a meeting, eating, or meeting your partner? No matter the reason, there are several ways to trigger a sneeze.

Smell a spice. You may sneeze when you smell certain spices. Try finding a spice jar in your kitchen, like ground black pepper, fennel seed powder, coriander powder, or ground red pepper. You can open the jar and inhale it, or add it to your cooking and inhale through your nose as you season.

• Crushing the spices can also trigger a sneeze. Try using a mortar and pestle to crush a few peppercorns to stimulate sneezing.

Inhale chili essential oil. Chili essential oil, which is naturally extracted from chili peppers, is often used in medicine and as a pepper spray. You can purchase a bottle of chili essential oil or find a product containing chili extract. Do not apply the oil inside your nostrils as it will cause a burning sensation. Instead, dip a cotton swab into the bottle of chili oil, hold the swab near your nose, and inhale the chili scent through your nostrils.

• If you don't have chili essential oil, you can cut a chili pepper in half, dip a cotton swab into the pepper's core, and then inhale the chili smell through your nose.

Inhale carbonated drink fumes. The right kind of stimulation may just come from inhaling the fumes of a carbonated drink, especially when you open a soda can. Drinking the carbonated beverage may have the desired effect, but you can also hold the cup close to your nose and inhale the carbonation. This method can trigger a sneeze.

• Make sure the soda is bubbling. If it’s not fizzy, the bubbles may not be strong enough to induce a sneeze.

Unwrap a spicy peppermint gum. Some people sneeze because of the strong scent of spicy peppermint. If you have peppermint candy or gum, try chewing a piece and inhale the minty aroma as you chew. This could lead to a sneeze.

• If you have peppermint essential oil, you can try inhaling it as well. Simply open the bottle and breathe in the scent through your nose.
• Inhaling peppermint toothpaste can also work. Just open the tube and inhale the scent through your nostrils.

Scratch inside your nostrils. You can trick your nose's defense mechanism and trigger a sneeze by gently stimulating your nostrils. The inside of your nostrils is extremely sensitive, so you can use a tissue to touch the hairs in your nose to induce sneezing.

• Twist a corner of the tissue tightly, insert it into your nostril, and gently twist it around – you should feel a tickling sensation.
• Similarly, you can use a synthetic feather to lightly brush beneath your nose. You don't even need to insert the feather into your nostrils to trigger a sneeze. Just brushing the area outside can be enough to provoke a sneeze.
• Do not insert anything deeper than the nostril ridge, even tissues.
• Never use hairpins or sharp objects to stimulate the nasal hairs.

Try plucking an eyebrow hair. Some people can trigger a sneeze simply by plucking an eyebrow hair. To test if this works for you, grab a pair of tweezers and pluck one eyebrow hair. This might be enough to cause you to sneeze.

• Pinch the base of the eyebrow hair with the tweezers and quickly pull it out.

Suddenly look at bright light. About one-third of the population experiences the "photic sneeze reflex". If you have this reflex, you might sneeze when suddenly exposed to bright light. To find out if you're one of these people, turn off the lights and sit in darkness for a few minutes. After allowing your eyes to adjust to the dark, look at a bright light or turn the lights back on.

• You can also squint your eyes and stand in the sunlight. Use your hand to cover your eyes. After one or two minutes, remove your hand and open your eyes. This action might trigger a sneeze.
• This occurs because the trigeminal nerve, which controls sneezing, runs along the optic nerve. Excessive stimulation of this nerve can result in a sneeze.
• Never look directly at the sun, as it can quickly damage your eyes.

Inhale a deep breath of cold air. Another way to trigger a sneeze is by inhaling cold air. For example, if you're indoors and it's cold outside, step outside and quickly inhale the cold air.

• If it's not cold enough outside, you can open the freezer and let the cold air hit your face for a few seconds.
• Another way to do this is to take a hot shower, then quickly stick your head outside and inhale a deep breath of the cooler air.