We breathe every moment. When we breathe, the first organ through which air passes is our nose.
Breathing is a natural thing, so natural that we sometimes forget about the presence of the nose.
Regarding the nose, there are actually many little secrets that are not known.
(Image source: soogif)
Although we have two nostrils, for the most part, the two nostrils work alternately, and there is always one nostril resting secretly behind our backs.
Were you shocked?
In the nasal cavity on both sides of the normal person, there is a part called the "lower turbinate".
The blood vessels within the mucosa of the lower turbinate on both sides alternately constrict or dilate. This leads to a cyclical change in nasal resistance and nasal airway opening and closing on both sides.
Simply put, when one nostril breathes, the other nostril rests, alternating. This phenomenon is medically known as the "nasal cycle".
The phenomenon of the nose "secretly resting" is also a mechanism for the body's self-protection.
The nose breathes all the time, is responsible for warming, moistening, filtering the air, and works with great intensity.
If you keep working, the nasal cavity can easily become dry, which can lead to nosebleeds and even some nasal diseases.
By having the two nostrils work alternately, these risks will be avoided.
When working in one nostril, the other side rests and recuperates, and the two sides alternately work, on the one hand, to ensure that we can inhale warm, moist and clean air; on the other hand, to maintain the health of the nose.
The nasal cycle of healthy people is about 2 to 7 hours, that is, every 2 to 7 hours, and the nostrils on both sides are changed for a shift. There are many nasal cycles in a day.
Of course, the nostrils that rest are not completely "asleep", but only reduce the size of the airflow, which is not easy to be detected under normal circumstances.
When lying on your side at night, the nostrils located below are more stressed and prone to congestion and mild nasal congestion. The nasal cycle allows us to turn over unconsciously in our sleep and avoid prolonged pressure on one side of the nostrils [1].
When we were children drinking bitter medicine, adults always liked to pinch our noses and say, "If you pinch your nose, you won't taste bitterness." ”
Is this true?
The first thing to know is that taste and smell are two different concepts.
The nose bears the sense of smell, and the olfactory receptors are mainly distributed on the inner side of the middle turbinate, and its corresponding nasal septum area.
The tongue is responsible for the sense of taste, and the taste receptors are mainly the taste buds, which are distributed on the back of the tongue, at the base of the tongue, and at the edges of the tongue [2].
So, pinching the nose doesn't affect our sense of taste.
Pinching the nose and filling the medicine is just to force the child to breathe with his mouth and drink the medicine with his mouth open.
Nowadays, many children's drugs have a fruit flavor, and parents no longer have to pinch their noses to fill the medicine.
The Internet rumors that "smelling apples can lose weight", and such a good thing? (The eyes of the editor who want to lie thin are bright)
Unfortunately, this is just a rumor.
The aroma of the fruit is mainly composed of various alcohols, esters and aldehyde compounds such as ethyl acetate and ethyl formate. These chemicals can make the brain produce pleasant feelings and help relieve anxiety and depression. But they don't help with lipolysis.
Lose weight, there is never any shortcut. It is also not recommended to reduce weight as the goal, but to focus on developing healthy living habits, exercising regularly, and not overeating. Good figure, naturally it will come to fruition.
During allergic rhinitis attacks and colds, the nasal cavity secretes a large amount of mucus. If it's too late to blow it out, where does all this snot go?
Yes, you were right, we swallowed it unconsciously.
Many people feel nauseous and worry about health problems.
First of all, the answer, the snot may indeed contain bacteria or viruses, but they enter the stomach, first of all, they must receive a wave of stomach acid baptism, basically eliminated, will not affect health.
In a healthy state, we have a "mucus blanket" structure in our nasal passages.
It covers the mucous membranes of our nasal cavity. There is a layer of cilia in the mucus blanket that swings on its own, like a brush, sweeping the nasal secretions mixed with dust and bacteria into the nasopharynx, where we swallow them.
Therefore, don't dwell on the snot that you swallow when you are sick, we may swallow more.
The mucus blanket forms mucus waves from front to back at a rate of 5 mm per minute. The renewal process of the entire mucus blanket in normal people is 20 to 30 minutes, and the process is very slow, so we can't detect it.
The nasal cavity secretes about 1,000 ml of mucus a day, and mucus and moving cilia together help to clean up dust, bacteria, etc., and together guard our health [3].
Many people have a special hobby, like to pluck their ears and nostrils when they are fine.
But some people are worried, will digging out the nostrils cause the nostrils to become larger?
First of all, the answer: it is possible!
The nostrils are made up of a small column of the nose in the middle, the large wing cartilage on both sides of the nasal wing, and the cartilage of the winglets. These cartilages have a certain elasticity, even if you use your fingers to open your nostrils and dig your nose, they can also recover.
However, if the nostrils are enlarged for a long time, the elasticity of the cartilage will decrease, and over time, the nostrils will really deform and become larger.
It is also necessary to remind everyone that digging up the nose with your fingers is not hygienic and may also lead to nosebleeds.
The most scientific way to clean the nasal cavity is to use a physiological seawater spray for cleaning.
Read more medical texts: Why don't you dig your nostrils? It turns out that without it in the nostrils, there are these 3 consequences...
Overall, the nose is fragile, be sure to protect it.
Tips for nose protection:
1. Remember to wear a mask when encountering smog, cooling, and windy weather;
2. When you have a cold or allergy, there are many nasal secretions, and try to use physiological seawater nasal spray for cleaning.
Review expert: Chen Jingguo | Ph.D., Department of Otolaryngology, Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University
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Sun Hong,Zhang Luo. Entolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery (9th Edition)[M].People's Medical Publishing House: Beijing, 2018.
Yan Jianqun,Zhao Yan. Introduction to Neurobiology[M].Xi'an Jiaotong University Press:Xi'an,2007.]
Huang Xuanzhao,Wang Jibao. Practical ENT Head and Neck Surgery[M].People's Medical Publishing House:Beijing,2008.]
*The content of this article is a popularization of health knowledge and cannot be used as a specific diagnosis and treatment recommendation, nor is it a substitute for face-to-face consultation by a practicing physician, for reference only.
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