Why Cold Causes Runny Noses #ColdInducedrhinorrhea @NPR #Winter
Winter showed up a little early on the east coast. It may leave you chilly with a runny nose. NPR answered why a few years ago!
Well, it’s really a combination of two things. It’s part respiratory biology and part of it is physics, or thermodynamics. One of the main functions of the nose is to warm and humidify the air that we breathe so that when it reaches your lungs, it’s nice and conditioned. And in order to do this, the nose has to add some moisture to it.
When it’s very cold out, the air is usually dry as well, and the nose is really working overtime to add some fluid. And there are reflexes that are in place that allow the nose to increase its fluid production. And if it really makes a lot of fluid, then it starts to run out of the end of your nose.