What is your sneezing style?

I had to post this because it was a sparked conversation and I had to know if there was some type of scientific explaination for why people sneeze all quiet and petite while others are loud and boistrous.

Well just so you know, there is no scientific reason to back up your annoying sneeze. Most likely however it was learned behavior, your mother sneezed that way her entire life and you figured that's how you should too. Unfortunately we can't blame our mothers for all our bad habits. But unless it's been pointed to you it is unlikely you are even aware of how it comes out. I didn't realize I was a compulsive nail biter until someone in college pointed out, now I rarely do that.

There is however one hereditary sneeze. It is called a photic sneeze which is triggered by sudden sunlight. Twenty perecnt of Sweedes are photic sneezers . . . funny. It is 100 percent attributed to genes like eye color, it is not related to gender.

So if you know of a loud sneezer you might want to clue them in.

WHICH TYPE OF SNEEZER ARE YOU?

"Shooting the Breeze About Sneezing" by Patti A. Wood, a body language expert and Benadryl spokeswoman:


Trumpet Sneeze -- These people expel air almost completely through their mouths with a loud, "OOOH."

Internal Sneeze -- Nothing really comes out except an odd "ump" noise. It's a wonder their eardrums don't explode.

Big Bad Wolf Sneeze -- They huff and puff before sneezing, as if they could blow the whole house down.

The Tease -- They capture our attention and may rivet an entire room in place as they go "aahhh ahhhh," with only a tiny little anticlimactic "achoo" at the end.

Freeze Tag -- The sneezer's whole face and body freeze, perhaps for several seconds, as the sneeze builds up internally. It suddenly explodes out, animating the entire person.

Hand as Handkerchief -These sneezers let it go right into their hand. This is really annoying if they then offer their hand for a handshake.

The Coughing Sneeze -- This is a series of coughlike sounding sneezes close together without a breath.

The Shout-it-Out Sneeze -This manly sneeze is so loud it can be heard in the next state.

Cartoon Sneeze -- This sounds like a little kid sneezing. Also known as the dainty sneeze.

The How High Can You Count? Sneeze -- The sneezer that keeps sneezing one right after the other until he begins to look like Count von Count from "Sesame Street."

Spray Gun -- This sneezer makes you wish you were carrying an umbrella and wearing a raincoat.

SNEEZE: A DEFINITION

So, what exactly is a sneeze? According to the American Academy of Neurology, sneezing is a reflex designed to protect the respiratory system.

A ticklish feeling in the nose starts a reaction that activates the nerves that make you sneeze. It's basically a really fast exhalation through the nose and mouth designed to eject offending alien objects, such as pollen or a tiny bug.

DID YOU KNOW?

• A sneeze can throw water droplets six feet into the air at speeds of up to 100 mph. One sneeze can propel 100,000 bacteria into the air. (Be sure to wear a raincoat around some people.)

• Sneezy of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was originally to have been called Deafy, until someone, long before the days of political correctness, spotted the unconscious slur, writes Michael Barrier in "Hollywood Cartoons."

• Some people who suffer strokes affecting the medulla part of the brain lose their ability to sneeze, even though the urge to sneeze and the ability to mimic the action remains. According to a study published by the American Association of Neurology, the sneeze "build-up" was not affected, only the completion of the sneeze. The stroke victims researched recovered their ability to sneeze within six months.

According to a Benadryl survey of 547 people:

• About 45 percent said they sneeze differently in public than by themselves.

• When asked what best describes what is going through their mind when sneezing, 47 percent responded, "I hope I don't bother anyone."

• 32 percent of women hold in their sneeze

• 26 percent of women are multiple sneezers, compared to 27 percent of men

• 46 percent of men say they are "big sneezers"

Sources: "Shooting the Breeze About Sneezing" by Patti A. Wood, Benadryl spokeswoman; Hoechst Marion Roussel, the pharmaceutical division of Hoechst AG; American Academy of Neurology (AAN); Washington Post; Library of Congress; Guinness Book of World Records. Amy Hotz writes for the StarNews in Wilmington, N.C.