Shouldn't BOTH run because they are connected? I don't get this.
2006-09-10 11:54:59 · 10 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Biology
One is breathing normally and the other is runing and can not breath.
2006-09-10 11:59:19 · update #1
Mostly due to sinue infections, smoking, - only colds or even sometimes allergies would cause both sides to run simultaneously...it is odd though- can't explain that.. I get the same exact thing though - right not left.
ok - maybe this explains it:
The anatomy of the nose - the architecture - is the arena in which nasal breathing takes place. The nasal passage looks like the attic under a pitched roof, only with a wall down the center dividing it into two parts. Shelves called turbinates run along the side walls of the space. Turbinates can expand or contract in order to open or close the space. The wall between the two sides of the nose, the nasal septum, continues to grow throughout life. if one inherits a septum which is destined to be too big for one's nose, the septum will have to buckle to fit and contributes to obstruction. If the pitch on the "roof" is too steep, making the nose too narrow, there is less room for the septum to twist.
Shelves on the side walls of the nose, in addition to the ability to expand and contract, have the job of secreting mucus into the nose
This architecture forms an arena in which a tug of war takes place. How swollen and wet the turbinates are depends on two competing streams of instructions coming through the housekeeper nervous system. This system, the autonomic, is the same system which
controls basic functions such as heart rate, blood pressure, and the progress of food through the gut.
One set of these forces, mediated by the sympathetic side of the autonomic nervous system, keeps the nose open and dry, by shrinking the shelves orturbinates and reducing the amount of mucus being secreted. The other side of the autonomic nervous system, the parasympathetic side, sends a constant stream of instructions to keep the nose swollen and wet. Where the nose is at any one time actually depends on the balance between these two sets of forces. This balance changes throughout the day. Every two hours one side of the nose will close and the other side will open. This balance is also affected by gravity so that when one lays down there is more of a tendency of the nose to be blocked up.
The sinus cavities are off to the sides and have no direct effect on breathing. Sinuses are auxiliary mucus generators only. The mucus linings of the nose and sinuses have a conveyor belt quality (as a result of ciliary activity) which causes the constant normal lubricating mucus to stream backward in the nose down into the throat where it meets another stream always being generated by the lungs. The combined flow from the nose and the lungs is designed to be swallowed, not expectorated, so the mucus can be decontaminated in the stomach and the components recycled by the digestive system
.
2006-09-10 11:57:16 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Actually no! The left is left not running because it is right for your right nostril to run. When you get a sore throat, it doesn't always hurt all over. One side is often more painful than the other. That is the way the body works. It gives you some relief, so that you would know that you are actually sick.
You should moisten your left nostril with a saline spray. And don't pick.
2006-09-10 19:01:01 · answer #2 · answered by Wise ol' owl 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Actually, you only breathe through one nostril at a time (when your cold is over, try it!), so your scenario makes a lot of sense. Also they are not connected, as the septum divides the nose into left and right sides (see source below)!
2006-09-10 19:08:03 · answer #3 · answered by victorygirl 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You may have a sinus block. A good remedy is a nasal spray - just use it as directed and in moderation. Getting addicted could really hurt you.
2006-09-10 18:57:34 · answer #4 · answered by Oklahoman 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You have two sinuses. They are not connected. One is draining because it may have a slight infection or other irritation like an allergy.
2006-09-10 18:57:08 · answer #5 · answered by Isis 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You mean nostril? I don't know, but if you have a stuffy nose in one nostril at night, sleep with the stuffy nostril on top and the clear on the the bottom. (sleep on your side, I mean) I really helps.
2006-09-10 18:58:47 · answer #6 · answered by Pro-Jolie 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Turn you head to the other side and let the clog drain to the other side.
2006-09-10 19:01:07 · answer #7 · answered by waplambadoobatawhopbamboo 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
one side is clogged but the other is running the snot out of it.
2006-09-10 18:56:29 · answer #8 · answered by dutchlogged 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the other one is clogged higher up with dried up snot, so to speak.
2006-09-10 18:56:27 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The left is plugged up...
2006-09-10 19:02:08 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋