When you have one blocked nostril, how come it switches to the side you sleep on yet it doesn’t drain out when you sit vertically/stand up or how come it doesn’t come out when you try to blow it out?
In: Biology
The blockage you’re feeling is mainly a result of inflammation of your nasal tissue due to a bacteria or virus. This would be why it seems you can’t “blow it out.” This inflammation reduces the amount of air that can pass through your nose, giving you a feeling of a nose filled with mucus.
When you’re sleeping on your side, all the blood in your body is impacted by gravity and more tends to settle on your lower half. This causes the side of your nose which is lower to have more blood than the other side, increasing inflammation and congestion.
Since I’ve learned this, I’ve always made an effort to sleep on my back when I feel nasal congestion and have noticed a significant improvement.
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