Join in. Hold your left nostril closed and breathe in. Then do the same with the right.
One of the two is easier. Almost always, and that is not because something is wrong with your nose.
You never breathe equally hard through both nostrils. There is always one doing the work and one running at half capacity. A few hours later they switch, without you noticing.
That is called the nasal cycle, and it explains a lot about how your nights go.
What happens in your nose
Your nose contains erectile tissue. Tissue that can fill with blood and swell as a result. When it swells, the nasal passage on that side becomes narrower.
Your autonomic nervous system controls that, and it does so alternately. Left full, right open. A few hours later, exactly the opposite. The most common explanation is that your mucous membranes can rest and re-moisten in turns this way, instead of both sides drying out all day in the airflow.
During the day you do not notice it, because the open side is wide enough to handle everything. You add the two sides together and think you are just breathing.
Why it is noticeable at night
As soon as you lie down, the calculation changes. More blood flows to your head, so your mucous membranes are already swelling a bit. The side that was already resting therefore goes from half closed to completely closed.
Then gravity comes into play too. If you lie on your side, blood sinks to the lower side of your head. The lower nostril swells up, while the upper one opens further.
That is why you can wake up at three o'clock with one nostril completely blocked, roll over, and twenty minutes later have exactly the same thing on the other side.
It is not broken. It is your nose doing what it is supposed to do, except now it stands out because there is no margin left.
When it does become a problem
As long as the open side lets through enough air, you will hardly notice it. It only becomes annoying when that margin disappears.
Dry air, house dust mites, a glass of wine before bed, or a nasal passage that is naturally a bit narrow. Each of these makes your mucous membranes swell extra. If the nasal cycle comes on top of that, the resting side is completely blocked and you are left with one nostril having to do all the work.
That is the moment when your body decides to open your mouth. More space, less resistance, and from that point on you breathe through your mouth for the rest of the night, waking up with a dry throat and a sticky feeling.
What you can do about it
You do not need to fight the cycle itself; it is part of the deal. What does help is making sure there is enough margin left.
Turn over when you wake up with a blocked nose. Sounds simple, works often within a few minutes, because the upper nostril opens on its own. It also helps to raise your head a little, so less blood sinks into your mucous membranes.
Keep the air in your bedroom humid enough. Dry air irritates your mucous membranes and they respond with even more swelling. In winter, with the heating on, that is the biggest difference you can make.
Rinse your nose with salt water before bed. That removes dust and allergens that make the swelling unnecessarily large.
And enlarge the opening itself. Nose strips pull your nasal wings outward with a splint that keeps everything under tension, on both sides at once. The resting side then gets more space than it would naturally have, and that is exactly the margin you need at night. Mouth tape keeps your mouth closed, so your body does not switch over halfway through the night after all.
The habit for this week
Check a few times a day which nostril is open. Hold one closed, breathe in, and then do the other one. Do it when you get up, around midday, and just before bed.
Within a day you will feel the switch, and once you know it, you will immediately understand what is happening when you wake up at night with a nose that only works on one side.
1% Better Every Night.
Guy Veeke
PS: Do you notice that the blocked side is really completely closed at night?
Then the combination of nose strips and mouth tape is the simplest way to get through it. The strips keep both nasal passages open, the tape makes sure your mouth does not become the escape route.
