Your nose can be perfectly normal one minute and suddenly start producing fluid the next. You may not feel sick, you may not have been sneezing, and there may be no obvious reason for it. Yet within moments you are reaching for a tissue.....Read Full Details Here>>>
A runny nose happens when extra fluid and mucus leave the nasal passages. The medical term commonly used for a thin, mostly clear discharge is rhinorrhea, while rhinitis refers more broadly to irritation and inflammation inside the nose.
One of the reasons this can happen is that the nose is constantly responding to its surroundings. Cold or dry air, dust, smoke, strong smells, allergies and infections can all irritate the nasal lining and trigger more mucus production.
Sometimes the reaction has nothing to do with being ill. Nonallergic rhinitis can cause a runny nose when the nasal tissues respond to triggers without an allergic reaction. Weather changes, strong perfumes, smoke and certain foods can all trigger symptoms in some people.
Cold air is another surprisingly common trigger. The nose has the job of warming and humidifying the air before it reaches the lungs. When cold, dry air irritates the nasal lining, the nose can respond by producing more fluid.
This explains why a person can walk outside and suddenly need a tissue even though they felt completely healthy indoors. The nose is reacting to its environment rather than necessarily fighting an infection.
So the next time your nose suddenly starts running, do not automatically assume you are getting sick. Your nose may simply be responding to something you have just breathed, eaten or experienced.
What is the strangest situation in which your nose has suddenly started running?
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