Why does the sun (and light) make you sneeze?

Question

Sometimes, just looking up at the sun on a bright day or turning on a bright light suddenly can make me sneeze, and I know that it happens to a lot of people. Why is this??? Thanks!

Answer 1

Because of the heat,many peoples may have allergy that will make them sneeze.

Answer 2

The Sun doesn't make you sneeze. Have you noticed that you sneeze more in bright light than in the dark? Here's why: you can see dust particles in the air. Seeing this causes your brain (and lungs) to respond as if you had just inhaled a fistful of sand.

Happy sneezing!

Dr. James Jeah MD

Answer 3

I think it's all in our heads.

Answer 4

it doesnet make us sneeze but it helps us sneeze ex: u alredy have to sneeze but u cant so u looka t a light or the sun and tht helps u get tht sneeze out of ur system

Answer 5

hahaha omg this happends

to me all the time !!i searched

it and came up with this ..

We do not know exactly why this happens, but it might reflect a "crossing" of pathways in the brain, between the normal reflex of the eye in response to light and the sneezing reflex. There is no apparent benefit from "sun-sneezing", and it probably is nothing more than an unimportant (but annoying) holdover of evolution.

Answer 6

If memory serves correctly, it's a kind of short circuit in the 3rd facial nerve. Ask your neighborhood neuro-anatomist.

Answer 7

Because it's very sudden and it just makes you sneeze, lol. I don't think it ever happened to me, but i know what you mean haha xD

Answer 8

no one really knows.

Answer 9

Ths never happened to me.

Answer 10

It doesn't make everyone sneeze.  So, there's a genetic component as well.  It's probably cross talk of the signals going from your eyes to your brain mixing with whatever it is that makes you sneeze.  But the question is not well understood.

I know several people who, when they're about to sneeze but can't seem to get it out, will look at the Sun.

Answer 11

That happens to me!!

I don't know.

Answer 12

evolved reaction to make you stop looking at the sun

Answer 13

i dont kno

hmmm weird !

Answer 14

Yes it happens to me as well and can be very annoying,

Sun sneezers are in the minority since the reflex only occurs in one out of four people. Studies suggest that it might be a dominant trait we inherit from out parents. It is believed that crossed neural pathways between the eyes and the nose, mouth, and chest cause sun sneezing. Bright light should make the pupils constrict, but for the photic sensitive, it does so much more!

It happened to me last week and sneezed for about 30 seconds straight, by the time i had stopped my eyes were watery and my eyes just got so sensitive to the sun i could hardly look without squinting.