Why Do Noses Run When Its Cold?

Why Do Noses Run When Its Cold?

The nose is meant to warm and moisturize the air that we breathe in; the mouth is only meant for eating and drinking and doesn’t properly treat the air before it is brought into the body ‘š which is why your throat always feels dry when you breathe through your mouth. But the nose is essential to making breathing easy. One theory as to why it runs when it is cold out is because it has to work even harder to take care of the very cold, oftentimes dry air and thus the extra moisture drips out of the nose. The extra moisture is from the blood vessels dilating and the mucosal tissue swelling, which cause the glands to produce more mucus. This mucus is the moisturizing portion ‘š it is a viscous saline (salt) solution that is absorbed into the air as it passes through the nasal cavity.

Also, exhalation of the very hot, very moist air causes the moisture to condense as soon as it hits the cooler outside air, but still in the noise. As it condenses, it forms droplets on the inside of the outer section of the nose, and then drips out, causing a ‘runny, nose.

As far as other causes, allergies are of course a big factor when it comes to runny noses, but there aren’t many things to be allergic to in the dead of winter ‘š throughout fall, of course, there is plenty, and this is often when it is beginning to get cold. Hay, for example, it s very common allergy stressor, and is everywhere during the fall.

There are plenty of decongestants that decrease the amount of mucus that your body secretes. One of these is specifically for people who in general have a very runny nose, a condition known as vasomotor rhinitis, called ipratropium bromide, which you can get with a prescription from your medical health care specialist.