Sneezing is a sudden and violent rush of air out through the nose and mouth. A person has no control over sneezing. The body takes this action to get rid of irritating objects in the nose. Nerve endings that line the nose react to these objects by causing the sneeze.
Sneezing occurs often in an ailment called hay fever. Plant pollen lodges in the nose and causes the sneeze. Sunlight can also cause sneezing because eye nerves are closely connected with nerve endings in the nose.
Sneezing aids the body, but can be harmful to other people. For example, the nose fills with congestion that contains germs when a person has a cold. Sneezing helps clear the nose. But unless the sneezer covers the mouth and nose, the germs escape into the air and may infect others.
