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Many people have heard the urban legend that keeping your eyes open while sneezing will literally pop them out of your head. Is there any truth to this rumor?Absolutely notthe legend is just that. The force of a sneeze is nowhere near strong enough to dislodge an eyeball. If it were, the human eyelid wouldn’t be strong enough to keep it in. Furthermore, eye sockets are not even connected to the nasal passages. Eyelids close during a sneeze simply because the ocular and nasal nerves are closely connected. It looks like this rumor will simply have to be put down to someone’s gruesome flight of fancy.

You don’t have to subscribe to humidifier magazines (like Tina Fey’s character “Liz Lemon” on 30 Rock) to recognize their benefits. For those of us who live in areas where the air can become unbearably dry at any time of year, the symptoms are common: dried-out skin, throat pain, itching in the eyes, sinus headaches, and more. The exhaustion that regularly accompanies these feelings can make it hard to search for a solution, but luckily humidifiers can help combat these uncomfortable issues.Buying your first humidifier can be confusing if you don’t know what you’re looking for. Most humidifiers are evaporative or wick models, in which a fan blows in order to evaporate water. The water evaporates more or less quickly based on the humidity of the room, so these models are effective self-regulators, but their wicks can easily become moldy. Read more »

Most of us take our noses for granted. We expect that they’ll be there when we wake up, and as long as we take care of them, they won’t let us down. In Nikolai Gogol’s 1835/36 short story “The Nose,” one man discovers that that’s not the case.Major Kovaliov is the main character who wakes up to discover that his nose has disappeared, leaving only a naked patch of skin in its place. The story follows Kovaliov’s quest to track down his nose, and his surprise at finding out that it has become a respected member of society.”The Nose” can be found in the The Complete Tales of Nikolai Gogol, Vol. 2 (University of Chicago Press, 1983) or at various online sites. The fantastical story has been adapted several timesfirst as an opera in 1930, then as a short film in 1963, a radio play in 1995, and another play by Tom Swift in 2008.

If your loved one’s snoring is keeping you from getting a decent night’s sleep (or if your snoring is adversely affecting someone else), then you know that it’s more than just a nuisance. Studies have found that snoring can lead to psychological and social problems, and is also associated with heart attack and stroke. If you’re ready to get rid of snoring and take back control in your life, read on.All snoring originates from blocked air passages, which can be related to sleeping position, alcohol and drugs, fat in the throat, the sleep apnea sleep disorder, and more. It’s best to take treatment in stages, as more serious treatments should be reserved for last. Start by trying to change your sleeping position and, if applicable, refrain from tobacco use. Losing weight can also help release pressure on the throat. Read more »