What to Do When You Can’t Breath Through Your Nose

Published April 1, 2022

The nose is the primary organ we use for breathing. But when our nasal airways are obstructed, breathing can be difficult. If you’re having trouble breathing through your nose, this post is for you.

Common Causes of Clogged Nose

There are a lot of factors that can make it hard for you to breathe through your nose. So to figure out how you can breathe freely again, you first need to understand why your nose is clogged.

As you know, the inside of our nose is like a vast cave with different cavities. It is through these openings that air passes from the outside and into our lungs. When these cavities are clogged, the air cannot pass through making breathing difficult.

In general, there are two common causes of a clogged nose: chronic sinusitis and nasal obstructions.

Chronic Sinusitis

Sinusitis is a condition where the lining of your nasal cavities or sinuses becomes inflamed. As a result, they swell up and block your airways.

Some of the most common symptoms of sinusitis are:

• clogged and stuffy nose
• nasal inflammation
• postnasal drainage (drainage down the back of your throat)
• reduced or total loss of sense of smell and taste
• thick discharge from the nose
• pain, tenderness, and swelling around the eyes, cheeks, and nose
• headache
• fatigue
• ear pain
• cough
• sore throat
• pain in the upper jaw and teeth
• bad breath

Most cases of sinusitis are caused by a viral infection that spread to the sinuses from the upper airways. But there are also other factors that can cause your sinuses to get inflamed such as:

• allergies
• weakened immune system
• smoking

Certain medical conditions like allergic rhinitis, asthma, and hay fever may also cause sinus inflammation.

Nasal Obstructions

Nasal obstructions are structural abnormalities in the nasal cavities that cause blockage in your airways. This includes:

• Inferior turbinate hypertrophy. This happens when the tissue on the outside walls of the nasal cavities is too large that it causes an obstruction.
• Deviated septum. It’s a condition where the cartilage in the middle of the nose is crooked or not in its normal position. This blocks the normal flow of air in your nose making breathing difficult.
• Oversized adenoids. Adenoids are tiny pieces of tissue that hang above your tonsils at the back of your throat. They usually shrink as you grow old. But when they’re infected, they can grow in size and clog your nasal airways.
• Nasal valve collapse. Your nasal valve is the narrowest part of your nasal airway. It regulates the amount of air that flows through your nasal cavities. When it collapses, the narrow valve will become even narrower until the airways are completely blocked.

Nasal polyps. These are painless and often noncancerous growths lining the inside of your nasal passageways. These growths can also restrict airflow in your cavities making it hard for you to breathe.