Photo: SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Science Photo Library / Getty Images
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Did you know blowing your nose wrong can make cold symptoms worse?
According to an ear-nose-and-throat doctor, forceful or excessive nose-blowing can cause a "backward pressure" that pushes mucus back into your sinuses.
A study in 2000 used special dye to track people's mucus after blowing their nose. And when they did it too hard or too often, scans showed the dye retreating back into their sinuses.
Excessive nose-blowing can also damage blood vessels and cause nosebleeds, sinus infections, headaches . . . and in rare cases, a ruptured eardrum or ORBITAL FRACTURES.
That doesn't mean you should just let snot run down your chin all day. Here's the RIGHT way to blow your nose...
Instead of trying to clear your nostrils in one fell swoop, take your time and blow gently. If only one side is stuffed up, use your finger to close the other nostril while you gently blow your nose to clear the one that's clogged.
Another option is using a Neti Pot with a warm saline solution to clear your sinuses. But some people don't like those...it can kinda feel like you're trying to waterboard yourself healthy.
(CNN)
Getty Images