Hey, I Learned Something Today!
I'm a photic sneezer!
Have you ever emerged from a matinee movie, squinted into the sudden burst of sunlight and sneezed uncontrollably? Up to a third of the population will answer this question with an emphatic "Yes!" (whereas nearly everyone else scratches their head in confusion). Sneezing as the result of being exposed to a bright light-known as the photic sneeze reflex-is a genetic quirk that is still unexplained by science, even though it has intrigued some of history's greatest minds. (from Scientific America's Looking at the Sun Can Trigger a Sneeze)
This is cool, because I thought everyone sneezed at bright lights until just a couple weeks ago when I walked outside, sneezed a couple of times, and my friends looked at me as if I were nuts and asked if I was okay. So today I decided to google it on a whim, and it turns out that I am indeed an anomaly (in more ways than one)!
Apparently, one of the possible causes of this could be related to one of the causes of migranes, which I find interesting as I've suffered from them since puberty. And while I love sunlight, I have found that my eyes are unusually sensitive to bright, direct sunlight... possibly one of the reasons I grow sleepy at a certain time of day?
Edit: Helloooo thunder and lightning! Maybe this will help some with that whole water issue the prefecture's been having.
Have you ever emerged from a matinee movie, squinted into the sudden burst of sunlight and sneezed uncontrollably? Up to a third of the population will answer this question with an emphatic "Yes!" (whereas nearly everyone else scratches their head in confusion). Sneezing as the result of being exposed to a bright light-known as the photic sneeze reflex-is a genetic quirk that is still unexplained by science, even though it has intrigued some of history's greatest minds. (from Scientific America's Looking at the Sun Can Trigger a Sneeze)
This is cool, because I thought everyone sneezed at bright lights until just a couple weeks ago when I walked outside, sneezed a couple of times, and my friends looked at me as if I were nuts and asked if I was okay. So today I decided to google it on a whim, and it turns out that I am indeed an anomaly (in more ways than one)!
Apparently, one of the possible causes of this could be related to one of the causes of migranes, which I find interesting as I've suffered from them since puberty. And while I love sunlight, I have found that my eyes are unusually sensitive to bright, direct sunlight... possibly one of the reasons I grow sleepy at a certain time of day?
Edit: Helloooo thunder and lightning! Maybe this will help some with that whole water issue the prefecture's been having.