We all sneeze and most of us give a polite, verbal response when another person does it. Sometimes it almost feels like a ritual that we have been taught to stick to, without really knowing where it originates from and why do we say it. Today, for the first time in my 3 decades of life on this planet, I asked my self exactly that. So as soon as I came back home, I did a little quick research and this is what I found.

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How do we sneeze?

First of all, a few words about what happens exactly when you sneeze. According to Dr. Albert Brubaker, sneezing is a spasmodic expiration which is preceded by one or more spasmodic inspirations. A normal expiration is momentarily prevented by the closure of the mouth and the nasopharynx (=the upper part of your pharynx that connects with your nasal cavity). As the expiration begins, the pressure in your lungs rises rapidly and as soon as it reaches a certain treshold, it forces open the nasopharyngeal partition. This causes a blast of air to pass through the nasal chambers and the mouth (if you open it). The goal is usually to dislodge mucus, foreign objects or fluids from the nasal mucus membranes.

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The origin of ''Bless you''

The interesting fact about our verbal responses to sneezing is that, all around the world, we usually use words related to god or health. Our ancestors realized that there is a link between sickness and sneezing. Therefore, most of the replies to sneezing, usually included a wish of good health towards the person who just sneezed. According to Nat Geo, Pope Gregory I, who was the head of the church during the plaque around 590 AD, had commanded the people to immediately bless anyone who sneezed. Sneezing was the first sign that someone was falling ill with the plaque , therefore a quick blessing was required for that person to get better.

Others believe that ''Bless you'' originated from the ancient belief that sneezing made the body vulnerable to an invasion by the Devil and therefore the blessing was necessary to keep the soul of the person who sneezed safe. If we go to even more ancient times, it was a common belief that during sneezing the person's soul, would temporarily leave their body and the only way for it to return back to the body is for another person to give his blessings. Others believed that sneezing was actually an attempt from the soul to get rid of evil spirits trapped inside the body and their blessing was necessary to help the soul achieve that. Whatever the origin truly, the link of sneezing with spirituality and health is obvious and it is observed all around the world.

How do people around the world respond to sneezing?

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German: Gesundheit! = Health!
Spanish: Salud! = To your health!
Russian: будь здоров (bood' zdorov) = Be healthy!
Italian: Salute! = Health!
Greek: Στην υγεία σου (steen ygeia su) = To your health!
Japanese: お大事に (Odaiji-ni) = Take care of yourself!
Chinese It is usually not customary to make any comment after a person sneezes

Interesting facts and superstitions about sneezing

• The air blast from sneezing can travel up to 150 km (93 miles) per hour
• There seems to be an unexplained link between sneezing and sex. ''Honeymoon rhinitis'' is the development of a congested nose during sexual intercourse and it is believed to be genetic
• The Ancient Greeks believed that sneezing was a prophetic sign from the gods
• In some cultures, especially in Asia, sneezing is believed to be a sign that someone is talking about you.
• According to the Guinness World Records, the longest sneezing fit was by a British woman and it lasted from January 13th, 1981 to September 16th, 1983 - a total of 976 days!!!

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