How To Make Yourself Sneeze: 10 Ways - Healthline

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9 Ways to Make Yourself Sneeze

Medically reviewed by Cynthia Taylor Chavoustie, MPAS, PA-C — Written by Emily Cronkleton — Updated on September 2, 2025

Use a tissue
Find a bright light
Sniff spices
Pluck an eyebrow hair
Tickle the roof of your mouth
Rub the bridge of your nose
Take a bite of chocolate
Go somewhere cool
Sip a fizzy drink
Takeaway

Some ways to help make yourself sneeze include sniffing pepper, looking at a bright light, plucking an eyebrow hair, and more.

Feeling like you need to sneeze but being unable to can be frustrating, especially if you need to clear your nasal passages or relieve congestion.

Some remedies can help encourage a sneeze, such as sniffing pepper, looking at a light, and plucking hair. Read on for more.

1. Wiggle a tissue in your nose

You can gently wiggle a tissue in the back of your nose to bring on a sneeze.

To do this, roll one side of a tissue into a point. Carefully put the pointed tip toward the back of one nostril and wiggle it around a bit.

You may feel a tickling sensation. This stimulates the trigeminal nerve, which sends a message to your brain that prompts a sneeze.

Be careful with this technique and make sure you’re not sticking the tissue too far up into your nostril. Some people may find that humming while performing this technique can help encourage a sneeze even more.

2. Look up toward a bright light

Some people sneeze uncontrollably when suddenly exposed to bright light, especially strong sunlight. This is known as photic sneezing and is a hereditary trait.

Even though not everyone has such a strong reaction, some will sneeze once exposed to sunlight or bright light if they are about to sneeze already.

You may also experience a prickling sensation. You can try closing your eyes before exposing yourself to the bright light.

Be careful not to look directly at any light source.

3. Sniff a spice

You’ve probably sneezed by accident after inhaling ground pepper. Black, white, and green pepper contain piperine, which irritates the nose.

This can stimulate a sneeze by triggering nerve endings inside the mucous membrane of the nose. Your nose is actually trying to get rid of this irritant.

Be careful not to inhale too much, or you can cause pain and burning. You can experiment with cumin, coriander, and crushed red pepper to see if they also stimulate sneezing.

4. Tweeze your brows

If you have a pair of tweezers handy, you can try plucking a single eyebrow hair to bring on a sneeze. This irritates the nerve endings in the face and stimulates the nasal nerve.

Part of this nerve goes across the eyebrows. You may sneeze immediately, or it could take a few tries.

5. Tickle the roof of your mouth with your tongue

You can use your tongue to tickle the roof of your mouth to induce sneezing. This triggers the maxillary branch of the trigeminal nerve that runs along the top of your mouth.

To do this, press the tip of your tongue to the top of your mouth and bring it back as far as possible. You may have to experiment a bit to find the exact spot that works for you.

6. Rub the bridge of your nose

Massaging the bridge of your nose can also help to stimulate the trigeminal nerve. Use your fingers to massage the bridge of your nose in a downward motion until you feel a tickling sensation in the back of your nose.

Massaging the nose may also help to encourage fluid drainage. Use firm pressure, but be sure not to press too hard.

7. Eat a piece of chocolate

While more research is necessary, eating dark chocolate with a high percentage of cacao may help bring about a sneeze.

It’s unclear why this works for some people.

»Learn more:Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate

8. Go somewhere cool

You may notice that you sneeze more when you are cold. The trigeminal nerve can be stimulated by cold air felt in the face and surrounding skull area. The lining of the nasal passages is also affected as you breathe in colder air.

Feeling cold and shivering can irritate the nerve and bring about a sneeze, so turning up the air conditioning or going outside on a cold day may help.

9. Drink something fizzy

If you inhale or drink too much fizz, it can cause you to sneeze. This is because too much carbon dioxide has the potential to be harmful. Your nose is more sensitive than your tongue to carbon dioxide.

The bottom line

Some tips that may help you to sneeze include plucking an eyebrow hair, sniffing pepper, looking at a bright light, and going into a cold environment.

It may also help to rub the nose, tickle the roof of the mouth, eat a piece of chocolate, and drink something fizzy, such as a soda.

You may find that some of these techniques work better for you than others. Remember not to be too forceful with any of these. Everyone reacts differently to irritants and has different sensitivities.

How we reviewed this article:

SourcesHistoryHealthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We only use quality, credible sources to ensure content accuracy and integrity. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

Chowdhury T, et al. (2019). Photic sneeze reflex: Another variant of the trigeminocardiac reflex?https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.2217/fnl-2019-0007
Does your heart stop when you sneeze? (2024).https://www.loc.gov/everyday-mysteries/biology-and-human-anatomy/item/does-your-heart-stop-when-you-sneeze/
Rui Y, et al. (2025). The sneeze reflex in physiological and pathological states: A mini review.https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12098519/
Shafique S, et al. (2023). Anatomy, head and neck, maxillary nerve.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK542277/
Why does pepper make you sneeze? (2025).https://www.loc.gov/everyday-mysteries/food-and-nutrition/item/why-does-pepper-make-you-sneeze/

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Medically reviewed by Cynthia Taylor Chavoustie, MPAS, PA-C — Written by Emily Cronkleton — Updated on September 2, 2025

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