The Gross Science of Sneezing, Coughing, and Vomiting
INTRODUCTION Picture it a serious math test is in progress but you can’t focus on it Something’s building up inside you a powerful urge your body can’t fight down Maybe your nose is tingling Maybe your throat is itchy Maybe your stomach is hurting and twitching You can feel the unpleasant sensation rising up through your chest your throat maybe up your nose Whatever’s about to happen you know it’s going to be loud and potentially super gross This could be the most embarrassing moment ever Why does the body have to do something so icky What possible good can come out of sneezing coughing or vomiting Well a lot of good actually The reaction or reflex that causes a person to sneeze cough or throw up means that something is wrong inside one’s body and the reflex happens when the body is trying to protect itself It’s cleaning up and throwing out any unwanted visitors We think of sneezing coughing or vomiting as symptoms of being sick However often these reflexes kick in to repel a change in the physical environment such as a nonsmoker being around people using tobacco products The reflexes might even work together in some cases a person entering a very dusty room is sure to sneeze thanks to all the irritating particles floating around but enough inhalations of the dust and the internal buildup will produce a coughing fit too Every part of the body has a purpose and what may seem totally disgusting can actually be very helpful to one’s overall health The amount of snot produced by sneezing or its color can provide a valuable valuable insight into what’s causing that particular symptom The difference between a dry cough and a wet one which can be expelling a lot of harmful germs is crucial to understand 4
INTRODUCTION 5 Although they’re uncomfortable sneezing coughing and vomiting can be very helpful reactions But you don’t have to be sick in order to sneeze cough or throw up
6 THE GROSS SCIENCE OF SNEEZING COUGHING AND VOMITING The connection too between the respiratory system and the gastrointestinal gastrointestinal tract is important to understand Perhaps sneezing alone isn’t a sign of anything serious But if too much snot is being produced the post nasal drip can irritate the throat enough to start some serious coughing especially when you’re lying down Acid reflux can have an effect on the color of the mucus and enough coughing can trigger a bout of nausea that starts bringing up the bile That bile is so acidic it can really damage the tissues of the respiratory system which leads to affecting the production production of mucus What might seem like an isolated symptom can lead to a whole chain reaction throughout the body It’s almost like a traffic jam Ultimately the body will benefit from ridding itself of outside bacteria bacteria physical particles or ingested irritants The process however can be painful It can be embarrassing It can be very very gross But there’s a science behind all the tough times of nose-blowing cough syrup induced bedtimes and days of eating only saltines and drinking ginger ale And it’s fascinating And also gross
SNEEZING There's a tingling in your nose It’s itching and rubbing it just makes it worse In fact a lot of pressure is building up behind your face Oh no what’s happening The process of sneezing is the same whether it’s a buildup of germs or a buildup of physical foreign objects in your respiratory system Eventually your body wants to get rid of the irritants But do you even know what’s getting irritated in your body By learning about what the respiratory system does it will make more sense as to why your body would need to sneeze at some point WHY DO I SNEEZE The nose is crucial in providing a pathway for the essential oxygen in the air However with every breath in dust and other foreign particles including germs are being inhaled too Inside the nasal passages are lined with nose hairs which do more than just look unattractive These hairs are known as the cilia They act as filters trying to keep the contaminants contaminants from reaching the more sensitive areas of the respiratory system Meanwhile you don’t even have to be sneezing to be producing snot The human body produces over a quart a little bit under a liter of snot every day WebMD compares mucus to the oil in the engine 7 CHAPTER ONE
