My Nose Feels Like I Inhaled Water, What Does This Mean?

Published June 30, 2023

Your nose is specifically designed for air passage. That’s why when you inhale water, it can cause a painful burning sensation in your nose. But what if you didn’t inhale water, and it feels like you did? Should you be concerned?

There are many reasons why you may feel like you inhaled water up your nose even if you didn’t. But in most cases, it’s caused by an irritation in your nasal passages. To understand why irritated nasal passages can cause this kind of sensation, you need to understand how they work.

Why Does My Nose Feel Like I Inhaled Water?

More than just an organ for breathing, our nose is also responsible for filtering out harmful substances. That’s why the tissues lining up our nasal cavities tend to be very sensitive.

When dirt, viruses, and bacteria enter our nasal passages, it irritates the cells lining them. As a response, these tissues swell up to block these irritants from entering your body. This causes the pressure in your nasal cavities to change, leading to that painful burning sensation we usually feel when we accidentally inhale water up our nose.

Because your nasal cavities or sinuses are blocked, breathing can be difficult too. The change of pressure in these cavities may also affect the pressure in your ears. It can affect your hearing and may even cause ear pain and ringing or tinnitus.

Aside from inflammation, the nose also produces lots of extra mucus to flush out these irritants. This brings about the runny nose and post-nasal drips that you usually experience when you inhale water through your nose. When this excess mucus hardens, it can cause further blockage in your nasal cavities making the symptoms much worse.

Common Causes of Burning Sensation in the Nose When Breathing

As mentioned, there are lots of factors that can cause that burning sensation similar to inhaling water. This includes:

1. Allergies

Allergies are your body’s response to foreign substances that it considers a threat. These include pollens, dust, molds, bee stings, and the like. When these substances enter your nose, they can cause inflammation and other allergic reactions.

Aside from the burning sensation in your nose, allergy symptoms may also include:

• swollen eyelids
• uncontrollable sneezing
• cough
• runny nose
• itchy nose, mouth, or throat

2. Rhinitis

Just like allergies, rhinitis is a result of your body’s reaction to foreign substances. But while allergies are caused mainly by allergens like pollen and such, rhinitis can be caused by viruses and bacteria too.

Common symptoms of rhinitis include:

• runny nose
• teary eyes
• sneezing
• nosebleed
• snoring
• a general feeling of tiredness
• ear infections that never heal

Some people may also show symptoms like dark circles or creases around and under the eyes and swollen nasal tissues.

People with asthma, as well as those with compromised immune systems, are more at risk of contracting rhinitis.

3. Sinus Infection

As the name suggests, a sinus infection is an inflammation in your sinuses caused by a viral or bacterial infection. Sinuses, if you didn’t know, are two pairs of cavities in your nasal area. They produce mucus which helps keep your nose free from bacteria and other irritants.

When these cavities are inflamed, it can lead to breathing problems and other symptoms such as:

• runny nose
• post-nasal drip
• headache
• thick, colored discharge from the nose
• pain and tenderness around the eyes, nose, cheeks, and forehead
• cough
• ear pain
• sore throat
• bad breath
• fever
• fatigue or tiredness

In addition to viruses and bacteria, growths and structural problems in the nose can also cause a sinus infection. This includes nasal polyps and a deviated septum.

4. Common Colds/Flu

Common colds and flu are respiratory conditions caused by viral infections. As such, they can trigger immune responses like inflammations and excess mucus production.

Because of this, their symptoms may include:

• sneezing
• stuffy nose
• cough
• fatigue and body aches

In general, common colds have milder symptoms than the flu. Additionally, people suffering from the flu may also experience:

• fever
• chills
• sore throat
• headache
• muscle aches

5. Medications

Certain medications like decongestants and antihistamines may help relieve symptoms of nasal infections. But when abused, they can dry out your nasal passages, which can worsen your symptoms.

If you’re taking decongestants, you may also experience other side effects like:

• dry mouth
• rash
• palpitations
• restlessness and insomnia
• headaches
• tremors
• itchy nose

As for antihistamines, common side effects include:

• dry mouth
• drowsiness
• difficulty peeing
• blurred vision

To lessen the risk of any unwanted side effects, you should only take these medications for as long as necessary to manage your symptoms. As a rule of thumb, decongestants should not be taken more than three days at a time.