Sneezing accompanies the season

What your sneeze tells you

• The Nice Sneezer: You tend to have a single achoo, and are more likely to turn away when sneezing. You are a good listener, nurturing, loyal and dependable. Relationships are important to you.

• The Be Right Sneezer: You are more likely to cover your mouth while sneezing. You are a deep thinker, careful and accurate. You play by the rules.

• The Get It Done Sneezer: You will hold in your sneeze if you can but are more likely to have a loud sneeze than other personality types. You are decisive, efficient and uncomplicated. You are a leader.

• The Enthusiastic Sneezer: You are more likely to have dramatic or multiple sneezes. You are optimistic, spontaneous and articulate. You think outside of the box.

— Patti A. Wood, body language expert

Sneezing: It’s one of those unpleasant, biological occurrences that remind us how primitive our bodies really are. Now that we’re in the thick of the flu season, proper hand hygiene is key when it comes to staying healthy, according to Nina Shik, director for Nursing Practice and Clinical Excellence at the KU Medical Center.

The Centers for Disease Control suggests sneezing into the crook of the elbow instead of hands as a more effective way to prevent the spread of germs. Shik isn’t aware of any research that shows germs are completely stopped by a shirt sleeve, but she does think it’s the better option.

“For many years people sneezed into their hands or the air and then went about their business,” Shik says. “Surfaces become contaminated, and then people inoculate themselves with germs by touching their eyes, nose or mouth.”

Shik recommends regular hand washing to prevent the spread of germs. The old rule to sing “Happy Birthday” twice while rubbing soapy hands under warm water still applies. Feel free to substitute with a more modern tune, as long as your self-serenade lasts at least 20 seconds.

Shik also says anti-bacterial products are only necessary when regular hand washing isn’t an option. “Most healthy people don’t need anti-bacterial items in their homes,” she says. “They’re needed in hospitals where we’re caring for the immunosuppressed, like patients undergoing chemotherapy.”

Sonja Gaumer, nursing facilitator for the Lawrence school district, says students are encouraged to sneeze into a tissue or their sleeve, and wash their hands with soap. “Students are always asked to wash after using the restroom and before lunch,” Gaumer says. “And hand sanitizer is available in all of our classrooms.”

Sneezing is a defense mechanism against irritants trying to invade the body through the nose. The trigeminal nerve alerts the brain, which gets the chest, abs, diaphragm, throat and eyelids ready for action.

It is a concerted effort that can happen in milliseconds and propel thousands of bacteria-filled particles into the air and onto the objects we touch. According to the CDC, some bacteria and viruses can live two hours or longer on common surfaces.

Sneezes can be triggered by allergies, irritants, exposure to bright light, eyebrow plucking, sexual excitement and hair pulling.

While you can’t fully prevent sneezing or sharing a space with a habitual offender, you can make an effort to stifle the spread of germs. Shik urges those feeling under the weather to stay home, noting how easy it is to infect friends and co-workers.

“Use common sense,” Shik says. “Keep your home clean. Keep your hands clean.”