Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsVasomotor RhinitisWhy Temperature MattersPrevention
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Vasomotor Rhinitis
Why Temperature Matters
Prevention
Sometimes you may wish you could turn your runny nose off like a faucet. But that drip actually serves several important purposes in protecting your health. The moisture protects yourmucous membranes, traps germs, and keeps foreign substances out of your nasal passages and body.
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While your body produces between one and two quarts of mucus every day, certain conditions can increase that amount.These include allergens like pollen ormoldin the air, common cold viruses (rhinoviruses), irritation, and exposure to cold weather.
This article discusses why you get a runny nose in cold weather and how to prevent it.
If you have vasomotor rhinitis, your body will produce clear nasal discharge. It may drain from the front of the nose, run down the back of the throat, or result in nasal congestion.
Your body has built-in ways of protecting itself when needed.
When exposed to cold temperatures, your body produces additional mucus to warm and moisturize the air coming through your nasal passages. This protects the mucous membranes in your nose from damage due to the dry, cold air. It also protects thebronchioles(delicate air sacs) in your lungs from damage.
In addition, a runny nose due to cold temperatures is a phenomenon similar to condensation. While the air you breathe in may be cold, your body temperature warms the air. When you exhale, you release that warm, moist air into the environment (which is cold).
As these two temperatures meet, droplets of water are produced. That water drips down from your nose along with the mucus they mix with.
RecapYour body produces extra mucus when it’s cold outside to warm and moisturize your nasal passages and protect your lungs.
Recap
Your body produces extra mucus when it’s cold outside to warm and moisturize your nasal passages and protect your lungs.
How to Prevent Cold-Weather Runny Nose
Finally, use a humidifier while indoors. Even if the temperature in your home is mild, the air is generally drier during cold-weather months. Humidification can help keep your mucous membranes optimally moistened.
Summary
It’s common to get a runny nose when it’s cold outside. That’s because your body is making extra mucus to moisturize and protect your mucous membranes in the cold, dry air.
2 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery.Post-nasal drip.Leader P, Geiger Z.Vasomotor rhinitis. StatPearls.
2 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery.Post-nasal drip.Leader P, Geiger Z.Vasomotor rhinitis. StatPearls.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery.Post-nasal drip.Leader P, Geiger Z.Vasomotor rhinitis. StatPearls.
American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery.Post-nasal drip.
Leader P, Geiger Z.Vasomotor rhinitis. StatPearls.
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