I understand what it is, buy what is “blocking” the airway? Is the inside of your nose shrinking? I can’t find a straight answer.
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Parts of your nose are filled with erectile tissue not dissimilar from that found in the penis or clitoris. This can cause the airway on one or the other side of the nose to become narrower as the tissue, which is in the wall of the airway, becomes engorged with blood
For reasons that are unclear, your body alternatively fills the tissue on one side of your nose, constricting airflow through that nostril. Which nostril is constricted and which is clear alternates, usually with a period of 1-6 hours.
Note that it’s physiologically possible for both or neither nostril to be constricted at the same time, though normally precisely one is at any time. Being congested in both nostrils at the same time is typically from excess mucus production (due to disease or allergy), not from simultaneous contraction via the erectile tissue, though when you experience that you can breathe through only one nostril, it’s usually because of this – you have the same mucus on both sides but a wider pipe on one, so it isn’t blocked.
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