Why Does one Nostril get Clogged?

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Why Does one Nostril get Clogged?

When you feel a clogging sensation inside your nostrils and you don’t have any nasal problems like sinusitis, allergies etc. there is a great possibility that you are experiencing a natural occurrence called the ‘nasal cycle,.

Nasal cycle was first described by German Physician Richard Kayser in 1895. This is the alternating obstruction of the human nostrils where one nostril is congested than the other. It is the normal cycle of congestion and decongestion in the nostrils. What happens is that during the nasal cycle, the linings of each side of your nose swells and then shrinks alternately. The blood vessels inside the nose linings become congested in a cyclic fashion, which leads to this alternate cycle of swelling and shrinkage.

Nasal cycle happens when there is more blood flowing to the structures like the turbinates (round masses which you can see if you look into your nostrils) inside your nose. The increased blood flow causes the congestion in one nostril for about 3-6 hours and then it switches to the other side.

This pattern is most noticeable during the night when you are lying in bed with your head turned at one side and you feel that one side of your nose is blocked and sometimes later feel that the other side is clogged. This is the reason why you change sides when you sleep in order to breathe comfortably.

If however you have nasal clogging due to other reasons like nasal septum, a cold, sinusitis, nasal polyps or allergies, I suggest that you consult your doctor and get a physical examination to know what treatment should be applied to you. Treatment may involve using medications such as, decongestants for clogged nose due to colds, adhesive nasal strips or inhalers, anti-histamines or nasal steroids for allergies and saline sprays or antibiotics.

Author: joanna

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