On December 31, 2024, my daughter and I decided that we would count our sneezes in 2025. We installed an app called Counter Tally Count, which makes it easy to count things. I have a counter called “Sneezes,” and every time I tap it, the number increments. Behind the scenes, it is stored with a timestamp, so I can see the exact time of every sneeze throughout the year.
My daughter did the same. Today, we both exported our results from the year, and now you can see the results on our 2025 Sneeze Dashboard!
She sneezed nearly four times as much as I did, and her biggest single day was over sixty sneezes! Mine was a mere 23.
Throughout the year, when I told people we were tracking sneezes, they invariably said something like, “Oh, that way you can tell when your allergies are worst.” No. We did it because it was fun. We know when our allergies are bad without an app.
I won’t be counting my sneezes again this year, but I’m glad we did it in 2025!
After writing this, I came across Sneezes, Ranked. I recognize most of these, especially:
2. The Double
One to loosen the debris, one to eject it. It follows a logical arc. You pay your taxes. You rotate your tires. You are boring, but you are necessary.
I am definitely a double sneezer.
Also, if I come out of a dark area (like a movie theater) into the bright sunlight, I often sneeze. In college, my friend Jennifer informed me that not everyone does that. In fact, she said, this phenomena has been given a name: Autosomal-dominant Compelling Helio-Ophthalmic Outburst syndrome… ACHOO! Aka the photic sneeze reflex, although that’s not as fun.
Some people sneeze when they feel full after a big meal. This is called… Snatiation. I guess you have to have a weird sense of humor to study sneezing.