Mondo Knows Facts
Nostrils alternate main airflow in a natural cycle
Erectile tissue congests and decongests nostrils every few hours continuously
Most people experience an automatic nasal cycle where one nostril is slightly more open than the other. Controlled by the autonomic nervous system, erectile tissue in the nasal passages swells and shrinks in turn every few hours to humidify inhaled air and preserve olfactory sensitivity.
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Tags: nose, breathing, senses
Nostrils alternate main airflow in a natural cycle: the short answers
- Where does this come from, and can I check it?
- Erectile tissue congests and decongests nostrils every few hours continuously. The figure is taken from NIH, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
- Is this really a human body fact?
- Yes. It sits on the Human Body shelf, one of 1,090 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
- What else can I read about it?
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