Why does your nose get runny when it's cold? - Big Questions - (Ep. 40) | Mental Floss
Oct 2, 2025
Why does your nose get runny when it's cold? - Big Questions - (Ep. 40) | Mental Floss
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0:00
Hi, I'm Craig. I'm terrible at fake sneezing. Hachoo
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And this is Mental Floss on YouTube. Today I'm going to answer Jacob White's big question, why does my nose get runny when I'm cold
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So this phenomenon actually has a fancy name, cold-induced rhinorrhea. It also has a less fancy name, skier's nose
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And I'm going to talk a little bit about that today. Let's get started. Cold-induced rhinorrhea, or CIR, is a very common phenomenon
0:31
Some people even experience sneezing and itching in addition to a runny nose. A 1991 study that examined medical patients at a ski resort clinic found that 96% of patients had experienced CIR
0:40
I'm experiencing it a little right now. Though I should note that in this study, the percentage might be a little higher than average because exercise also causes rhinorrhea
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Rhino-rhea, by the way, is a medical term for a runny nose. But we should all say rhino-rhea
0:51
from now on, because it's hilarious. Anyway, it turns out that the nasal mucus actually has an important job protecting things
0:57
like lung tissue Basically when you inhale air the mucus warms that air up to your body temperature This is gross That keeps the sensitive areas of your body like your lungs protected from the cold So every day your nose creates a little less than a liter of mucus or fluid And nasal mucus is always coating your nasal cavities but they dry out faster when you
1:13
in cold or dry climates. The nasal cavity produces extra mucus in those situations, because you can never have enough
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mucus, am I right? It manages to do this by increasing blood flow in the nose
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The blood flow goes back to normal pretty immediately after you enter a warmer place
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You might be relieved to hear that it's not all just mucus pouring out of your nose though. Some of the wetness you experience on your nose is just water vapor
1:31
In cold temperatures, the air that comes out when you exhale is warmer than the air outside
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Then that breath condenses into fluid on the tip of your nose. So is CIR preventable
1:39
Well the study that I mentioned earlier found that 92% of CIR sufferers who took a nasal
1:43
spray containing atropine sulfate and saline saw an improvement in their symptoms
1:48
Or if you wear a scarf over your nose, you'll breathe in air that's a little warmer and reduce the runniness. Duh
1:53
Wear a scarf. Mental Floss on YouTube, which was made with the help of all these rhino-reas
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If you have a big question of your own that you'd like answered, leave it below in the comments. I'll see you next week
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