There are a lot of urban legends floating around out there, and you might have heard the one that says it’s bad to hold in a sneeze.

Sometimes, like if you’re trying really hard not to wake a baby that just fell asleep, or you’re trying to sneak back in the house without your parents hearing, you might really want to, though..

If you do, will it hurt you?

The answer is that yes, it’s possible – though if you heard the urban legend that your eyes will pop out of your head, that’s definitely not true.

You could, however, tear your windpipe.

There is a case of a man pinching his nose closed and closing his mouth, holding in a sneeze while driving.

A few minutes later he had pain and swelling in his neck, and by the time he arrived at the ER, there was an audible cracking noise known as crepitus audible in his neck.

The x-ray revealed surgical emphysema, which leaks air under the skin. It was a result of a tear in his windpipe caused by holding in that sneeze.

It wasn’t a one-off, either – there is at least one other reported case in which a man ruptured the back of his neck after holding in a sneeze.

In that case study, the authors theorized how it could have happened.

“Halting sneeze via blocking nostrils and mouth is a dangerous maneuver and should be avoided. It may lead to numerous complications and such as pneumomediastinum, perforation of the tympanic membrane, and even rupture of cerebral aneurysm.”

In another case, a woman fractured her cheek trying to hold in a sneeze.

It turned out she had an unknown fracture in her right maxillary sinus, which caused subcutaneous emphysema of the face. When she blocked the sneeze, the pressure caused the fracture to turn into a break.

Holding in a sneeze isn’t going to result in serious injury every time, but the point is that it could, so you know.

I guess just let it fly.

If you found that story interesting, learn more about why people often wake up around 3 AM and keep doing it for life.