Cold why does your nose run

So how does it do this? Cold, dry air stimulates the nerves inside your nose, which send a message through your nerves to your brain. Your brain then responds to this impulse by increasing the blood flow to the nose, and these dilated blood vessels warm the air passing over them.

Secondly, the nose is triggered to produce more secretions via the mucous glands in order to provide the moisture to humidify the air coming through. These cells trigger the production of more liquid in your nose to make the air more moist. Heat and water loss are closely related: heating the air in the nasal cavities means the lining of the nasal cavity mucosa becomes cooler than core body temperature; at the same time, water evaporates becomes vapour to make the air moist.

Water evaporation, which requires large amounts of heat, takes heat from the nose, thus making it cooler. Decongestant medicine, tissues, and runny noses close in on all sides.

But why does your nose run in the first place? The answer lies in the way your nose combats disease. The nose is a complex organ—it warms and modifies air as it comes into your body, and acts as a gatekeeper against the external environment, says Stella Lee , a professor of otolaryngology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

It traps disease-causing bacteria and viruses that might infect you if they reach more vulnerable body tissues. A layer of cilia—those hair-like structures that cover the interior of your nose—moves that mucus from the front of your nasal passages towards the back and down your throat. To protect your body, the immune system kicks into action.

Cleveland Clinic. Mucus and phlegm: What to do if you have too much. January 25, Leader P, Geiger Z. Vasomotor rhinitis. Updated October 3, Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for VerywellHealth. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page.

These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data. We and our partners process data to: Actively scan device characteristics for identification. I Accept Show Purposes. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Plus, resting will give you a much-needed break from blowing your nose. Putting a warm compress to your nose and forehead multiple times a day can help relieve upper respiratory symptoms like nasal congestion.

This will help to loosen your mucus to help relieve nasal congestion. The next time you have a stuffy nose, try sitting in the bathroom with a warm shower running. You can also breathe in steam from a bowl of hot water. Inhaling warm not hot steam can help soothe the mucous membranes lining the nose and make the mucus thinner. This will help you drain your mucus faster. A clean humidifier or cool mist vaporizer is a great way to add moisture back into your environment, which will help with nasal congestion.

When the air is too dry, your mucus may get thicker and not flow very well, and your sinuses may not drain properly. You can use a humidifier or cool mist vaporizer to add humidity into the air, which will keep your nasal passages moist, allowing mucus to drain faster. Using a gentle saline nasal spray like Sinex Saline Ultra Fine Nasal Mist can help clear congestion from a cold or allergies.

A saline nasal spray helps keep nasal passages open by washing out any allergens like pollen, dust, or pet dander that can lead to nasal congestion. It can also loosen thick or dried mucus to make it easier to remove.

The saline solution also helps to soothe dry, irritated nasal passages. You can use a neti pot to rinse particles or mucus from your nose if you have nasal congestion symptoms. A neti pot is specially designed to help you flush out mucus. To use it, bend your head sideways over the sink and place the spout of the neti pot in the upper nostril, and then pour a saltwater solution into your upper nostril and let the water drain down the lower nose.

The chemical in spicy foods, capsaicin, can help relieve a runny nose that is not caused by allergies. Capsaicin is the compound that gives chili peppers their heat. While eating spicy foods, your runny nose may get worse at first, but in the long run the heat will relieve your runny nose.