When you sneeze lots of simultaneous activities take place in your body. Your eyes are closed and your lungs try to pop out. Your tongue presses against the roof of your mouth. Your breath is fast but what happens to your heart?
Does it stop momentarily?
Where does The Idea of Heart Stopping Comes from?
The expression ‘god bless you” after someone sneezes is perhaps the origin of the doubt that the heart stops when you sneeze. That is perhaps why everyone around you wishes the blessings from God to you.
It is interesting that in most cultures around the world, the wishes with similar meanings are expressed. Diseases like plague in which extensive coughing and sneezing occurs are perhaps responsible for such doubts. People in the past were almost certain to die in plague due to lack of medical help to deal with such diseases in the ancient time. Sneezing was just one symptom.
Though the origin of doubt may be the above expression of wishes, some doctors still believe that the heart may be stopping for a fraction of seconds due to excessive pressure on the chest and impact on the nervous system. What kinds of neurological signals are sent by the brain to the heart under these circumstances is not very well researched?
According to the Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, of University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
“Your heart does not stop but when you sneeze, the intrathoracic pressure in your body momentarily increases. This will decrease the blood flow back to the heart. The heart compensates for this by changing its regular heart beat momentarily to adjust. However, the electrical activity of the heart does not stop during the sneeze”
There is more pressure on the chest and heart but it doesn't stop working. After so many sneezes you often feel drained out. That may perhaps explain lack of oxygen in the body cells. Does it mean the efficiency of the heart may be getting impacted during sneezing? Learn here how to stop sneezing ?
One thing is sure that in spite of persistent sneezing, you are still alive. This in itself suggests that whatever inefficiencies may be occuring in the heart during the sneezing process, the heart doesn't stop beating.
The topic is certainly not a priority for research work but some research is required to throw more light on the impact of sneezing on heart functioning.