Mucus has a pretty important job — it keeps the lining of your nose moist and warms the air you breathe. Mucus also protects the lungs. When you breathe in air through your nose, it contains lots of tiny things, like dust, dirt, germs, and pollen.
If these made it all the way to the lungs, the lungs could get irritated or infected, making it tough to breathe. Luckily, snot helps trap this stuff, keeping it in the nose and out of the lungs. After this stuff gets stuck inside the nose , the mucus surrounds it and some of the tiny hairs inside the nose called cilia say: SIL-ee-uh.
These hairs help move the mucus and the trapped stuff toward the front of the nose or the back of the throat. Have you ever wondered where snot comes from and why colds, allergies, and crying make nasal mucus more obvious? If your nasal discharge is any color other than clear, it could be a sign of an infection. Check out our handy table comparing conditions to colors to…. Does the temperature of the beverages you drink affect your health? Ear stretching is when you gradually stretch out pierced holes in your earlobes.
Learn about how to safely stretch your ears and the materials you'll…. Cissexism is based on the assumption that all people are cisgender. This is so deeply ingrained in our society, so many people say and do things that…. Electromagnetic hypersensitivity EHS is a defined by unpleasant symptoms, like headaches and pain, triggered by exposure to electronic devices.
A health insurance deductible is a specified amount or capped limit you must pay first before your insurance will begin paying your medical costs…. Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Medically reviewed by Deborah Weatherspoon, Ph. How to safely remove boogers from your own nose.
How to remove deep boogers from a newborn or young child. Causes of boogers. Treating the causes of mucus. Read this next. Medically reviewed by Karen Gill, M. Medically reviewed by Stacy Sampson, D. Medically reviewed by Daniel Murrell, M. Medically reviewed by Elaine K. This flow is helped by fine nasal hairs cilia and hair cells inside the nose. Nose hair also acts as another form of filter, capturing dust particles and germs that are inhaled before they even enter deeper into the nasal passages.
This is one of the reasons why trimming nose hair is not the best idea because it can allow more allergens and bacteria to enter the nose and cause infections more regularly. A dry nose is often caused by environmental factors, certain illnesses and can even result as a side effect of some medications.
When the mucous membranes of the nasal passages dry out, they can become very irritated and certain symptoms may occur such as itching, burning, painful cracking, crust formation boogers and bleeding.
Causes of a dry nose:. Boogers can result from an overly dry nasal passage. When the mucus in your nose is not viscous enough to be swept down into the nasal cavity because of one of the factors mentioned above, it will end up drying out inside of your nose, usually close to the nasal openings. The mucus becomes dry and crusty, ultimately forming what we call a booger. One way to clear out boogers is to use a tissue to softly blow them out.
Do not pick boogers as studies have shown that picking boogers can introduce more harmful bacteria into the nose, potentially leading to more serious infections. As mucus in the nose is the first line of defense when it comes to trapping harmful bacteria and allergens, as a nose that is not producing enough mucus can greatly increase the risk of allowing these harmful substances to pass into the rest of the airway.
Luckily, treating a dry nose is easier than treating a blocked one. By implementing some simple lifestyle changes to prevent the nasal mucus membrane from drying out, most of the symptoms of a dry nose will disappear. Try the following:. Many people reach for nasal sprays for help with a dry nasal passage.
The problem with conventional nasal sprays that are prescribed or available in most pharmacies is that many of them end up drying out the nasal passage even further, while some are habit forming and can cause rebound congestion.
Some contain chemical preservatives may cause further damage and even thinning of the nasal passages. There are also so many to choose from, and without knowing which ingredients to look out for, those shelve options may seem daunting and overwhelming.
Making the wrong choice in this department may cause more harm than good so one must be vigilant and well informed.
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