Do you always sneeze into your hand? Sneezing into your elbow is much better!

Sneezing is an involuntary reflex, meaning we don’t really have that much influence over the movement. In a lot of instances, we automatically move our hands to our mouths to catch the sneeze. However, Vivane van Casteren from Sciensano recommends changing this habit. Apparently, it’s much better to sneeze into your elbow and this is the important reason behind it.

Sneezing in your hand causes the flu to spread more easily than when you sneeze in your elbow or a tissue.

What is sneezing?

Why do we sneeze in the first place? Sneezing is a reflex that occurs when the mucous membranes of your airways are agitated by something that isn’t supposed to be there. Often this takes place in the nose or the lungs. Without you noticing, this reflex causes you to breathe in too much air, which then gets enclosed in the lungs by the vocal cords. The result: a loud sneeze that seems to come from your lower belly. Moisture from the nose and mouth (saliva) are released into the air with this as well.

Go to the next page to read more about this and to read the official advice!

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