Why Do You Sneeze When You Look At The Sun

Why Do You Sneeze When You Look at the Sun?

Transcript

00:00 Sorry, that was the photic sneeze reflex.

00:04 Yep, it's a scientific name for the sensation of sneezing when you see the sun.

00:09 But you can also call it "achoo" – the autosomal, dominant, compelling, helio-ophthalmic

00:15 outburst syndrome.

00:16 And I don't get paid extra for big words like that.

00:20 Apparently, between 10 and 35% of people experience sun sneezing, but nobody really knows why.

00:26 Some ancient philosophers, like Aristotle, thought it was the sun's heat irritating

00:31 your nose, while others, like Francis Bacon, believed it was the sun's light making your

00:35 eyes water and tickling your nose.

00:38 The current theory is that bright flashes of light can accidentally stimulate the trigeminal

00:43 nerve located next to the nerve attached to your eyes.

00:46 Your body thinks something is irritating your nose, and – wait for it – you sneeze.

00:50 And if anyone asks why you're sneezing at the sun, just tell them it's because your

00:55 trigeminal nerve and optic nerve are having a party.

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