Coughs and Sneezes, Spread diseases... and Can Make You Faint

November 2, 2025

A personal reflection on health, fragility, and why we can’t take even a cold for granted.

I may be a cancer survivor, but my immune system has been compromised. Now, a bad cold has triggered something unexpected, fainting after sneezing. Here’s what I’ve learned about this overlooked and potentially serious condition called cough syncope.

Since finishing cancer treatment, my immune system has been living on borrowed strength. Immunotherapy has kept me stable, and for that I’m grateful, but it’s left me wide open to every passing virus that wanders my way.

This month it was a bad cold. Nothing unusual, I thought: sore throat, sneezing, congestion. But then something new appeared, and it stopped me in my tracks. I sneezed and fainted. One moment upright, the next on the floor.

After some research I discovered this isn’t as rare as it sounds. The medical world calls it cough syncope, or “tussive syncope.” It happens when a violent cough or sneeze spikes the pressure inside your chest so suddenly that blood flow to the brain drops for a few seconds, and you black out.

In most people it’s short-lived, but for those with compromised immunity or ongoing therapy like mine, it can be dangerous. Falls, injuries, and even underlying cardiac or respiratory issues can lurk beneath what seems like a simple cold.

Here’s what I’m doing now:

Sitting or lying down when a coughing fit begins.
Logging each episode, time, duration, what I was doing.
Avoiding driving until I’ve had a full medical check-up.
Staying hydrated, eating properly, and resting more than feels natural.
Speaking directly with my immunotherapy team, because this is not something to ignore.

If you’re reading this and have ever fainted after coughing or sneezing, please don’t brush it off. Talk to your doctor. Keep a note of when it happens. These small signs can tell a much larger story.

Living with a compromised immune system means walking a fine line between caution and courage. But that balance, awareness without panic, is the key to staying alive and staying well.

So yes, this may just be a cold. But as I’m learning, nothing is ever “just” anything when your body has fought the kind of battles mine has.

Stay well, everyone. And if you’re coughing hard, sit down before you fall down.

While you're lying down after a coughing/sneezing fit, why not read a good book to pass the time away.

Here's a few books you can get your teeth into. Just click the link >>> Books by Tom Kane