At times, a person may feel they are breathing more through one nostril than the other. Here are the five most common issues Difficulty breathing — nasal misalignment makes it harder for air to pass through one half of your nose, so it’s more difficult for you to breathe. Feeling like you can only breathe through one nostril is a common experience While it might seem unusual, this sensation is often a normal physiological process, not a cause for concern Understanding its scientific basis can clarify this everyday occurrence.
This can raise the risk of nosebleeds A deviated septum or swelling of the tissues in the nose can be one of many reasons for noisy breathing during sleep Needing to sleep only on one side Some people sleep on a certain side to ease breathing through the nose at night if one nasal passage is narrowed. When you become ill, one nostril may feel more blocked due to the natural nasal cycle, where congestion alternates between nostrils We might not realise it, but our bodies deliberately direct the airflow more through one nostril than the other, switching between nostrils every few hours
There’s a thin wall in your nose separating your right and left nasal passages called the nasal septum Medical experts call this a deviated septum You might notice that the nostril gets particularly affected when you’re sick or allergic. Some individuals may notice easier breathing through one nostril, while struggling to take breaths through the other due to the nasal cycle.
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