29 August 2010

Bless you

Your heart doesn’t stop when you sneeze, nor can your eyes pop out of your head if you sneeze too hard. However, a big sneeze can fracture a rib and suppressing a sneeze can cause a blood vessel in your head or neck to rupture.

Here are ten other sneezing truths:

1. Sneezes travel at about 160 kilometres an hour.

2. A single sneeze can send 100,000 germs into the air.

3. You don't sneeze in your sleep.

4. Thomas Edison used his early movie-camera technology to film sneezes (weird fetish, much?).

5. The longest sneezing spree was 978 days, a record set by Donna Griffiths of Worcestershire, England.

6. The word 'sternutation' sounds like a serious medical procedure, but it’s really just the technical way of saying ‘sneezing’.

7. Iguanas sneeze more often than any other animal.

8. You can’t sneeze with your eyes open – and no one knows why.

9. If you have a rare genetic disorder called ‘snatiation’*, you'll sneeze after eating a big meal.

10. Some people reckon saying ‘lamp’ or ‘cucumber’ repeatedly after sensing a sneeze on the way, stops it from happening. And saying 'wigwam' or 'aerodynamics' after having sex, stops pregnancy from happening.**

Sneeze personality test

Here’s a quick personality test, designed by Patti Wood, based on your sneezing habits (I kid you not!). Which of these best describes you?

The Correct carries Kleenex and is careful to cover her mouth when sneezing, meaning she’s respectful of others and likes to maintain a dignified disposition.

The Supporter tends to hold in sneezes rather than risk sneezing on someone, which indicates a quiet and caring character.

The Expressive makes a big production out of sneezing and often sneezes multiple times at once, possibly making her a showy and dominating person.

The Driver sneezes loudly but quickly, making her direct and forward-thinking.

*’Snatiation’ is an backronym for ‘Sneezing Non-controllably at a Time of Indulgence of the Appetite- a Trait Inherited and Ordained to Be Named’,

**If any teens or stupid people are reading this, that was a joke, okay? Not genuine contraception advice.

Image: Yaron Jeroen van Oostrom

1 comment:

  1. Lew's sneeze meaning:
    The Expressive makes a big production out of sneezing and often sneezes multiple times at once,(LOUDLY) possibly making her a showy and dominating person.

    hehe...shhhhh I didn't post this :P

    xxx

    ReplyDelete