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It's something we've all done at least once. You're out in public place, maybe in class or at work, when you feel an incoming sneeze.
Oh no! People can't see you sneeze, it's so distinguished.
So instead of announcing to the world that you are a germ infested mess, you pinch you nose and hold it in.
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It's not exactly classy, but at least it's not as loud as a regular sneeze.
But what you didn't know is that holding in your sneezes can be extremely dangerous. That's because during a sneeze, air comes shooting out at 160 km per hour, and if you pinch your nose and close your mouth, all that pressure has to end up somewhere.
Which is what happened to a 34 year old British man a few weeks ago. He had to be hospitalized after he held in a sneeze. The air pressure was so great it actually perforated his throat.
His neck started swelling up, he had trouble speaking and swallowing, and he had to be fed though a tube for a week.
In the past, doctors have also seen cases where holding sneezes has caused sinus problems, ear infections and even ruptured eardrums. One man even managed to fracture his larynx.
So if you're in the habit of holding sneezes, you might want to consider stopping before you injure yourself.