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Why do I always sneeze twice?

I never sneeze only once and rarely get three in. Is there a reason for this pattern?

4 November 2020

New Scientist. Science news and long reads from expert journalists, covering developments in science, technology, health and the environment on the website and the magazine.

Nikola Stojadinovic/Getty Images

Why is it that when I sneeze, I almost always do so twice?

Geoff Broughton, Abingdon-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, UK

Only twice? My wife always releases a volley of six loud sneezes. There is palpable tension in the room if numbers five and six are momentarily delayed. How can her nasal system reliably count to six while under such strain?

Taylor Rey, Suwanee, Georgia, US

Almost every time I sneeze, I do so seven times in a row. The sneezes come in fast succession, but occasionally the last one lags behind by a few seconds.

Harsha Kariyawasam, Royal National Throat, Nose…

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