In winter, it is better to always walk around with one (or more) packs of tissues. It’s inevitable, every time the temperatures approach 0°C, your nose will automatically start to run. And this sometimes very annoying phenomenon is completely natural and results from a process – much more advanced than you think – inside your nose.
What is the use of mucus? Mucus, this thick and sticky product that lines the walls and your nasal cavities and then flows through your nostrils is not there to poison your daily life, quite the contrary. Because your nasal mucosa is sensitive, its primary role is to moisten the air you breathe to prevent it from drying out. But that’s not all: it is also responsible for capturing all the dust, viruses and other unwanted particles such as pollution that you inhale by evacuating them to the back of the throat, then, the digestive system by express route. Finally, this is what happens in normal times: every day, we swallow on average a liter of mucus.
Reasons Your Nose Runs (Even When You’re Not Sick)
Indeed, when it is cold, the air becomes dry. To counter this, your body naturally produces more mucus, even if you are not sick. Which is logical, but, of course, causes an abundance of liquid that must be drained. Especially since the lower the temperatures, the less certain nasal cells (called “ciliates”) are able to effectively convey this mucus to the rest of the body. It only has one natural escape route: your nostrils.
However, we must also add to this double phenomenon another concern: when the degrees drop, the water vapor that you exhale naturally condenses on contact with the cold air. Result: this newly created water mixes with the mucus… and therefore increases the flow of your large waterfalls. This is the reason why it is advisable to drink more than usual in winter, but also to always be equipped with a pack of ultra-soft tissues. First to catch the leaking mucus, but also to avoid having to blow your nose in a hurry in Paper Towel, at the risk of irritating a nose already quite annoyed by the cold.
