This'll Blow You Away

The power of a cough

(HealthDay) -- Did you know that when you cough you produce a blast of wind stronger than a hurricane?

A cough is the body's mechanism to expel irritants from your breathing system and each cough produces a gust of about 300 miles an hour.

Coughing, though annoying, is actually good for you, says Jeanne K. Hanson, author of "Your Amazing Body, from Headaches to Sweaty Feet and Everything in Between." That's because it clears your bronchial tubes and lungs of unwanted material and helps you breathe easier.

A sneeze, on the other hand, is an involuntary reaction prompted by pain receptors. Sneezing is an automatic response to shut down inhalation and expel a possibly dangerous substance. Sneezes also produce a hurricane-force wind averaging 75 to 100 miles per hour.

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