Are you sick of waking up every morning with all this dried gunk in your nose, making it feel as though you’re not breathing in enough air?
If you live in a dry climate such as Colorado, you may have dry-air-induced morning nose snot. In fact, in Colorado, it goes by a name:
“Colorado nose” refers to the condition of awakening with dry mucous plugging up your nasal passages as as result of a dry climate.
But you don’t have to live in Colorado to have “Colorado nose.”
Any dry climate can cause the mucus in your nose to pile up come morning.
What makes dry snot worse than moist gooey snot is that the dry kind is difficult to blow out. It just stays stuck in there.
Desperation can easily lead to using tweezers to pluck out the dry chunks of mucus plugging up your nostrils.
Some people fare better with a Q-tip swab, or even a long fingernail.
“Dry cold thin air can irritate the mucous membranes and dry the nasal mucous,” says Dr. Stacey Silvers, MD, of Madison ENT & Facial Plastic Surgery in NYC, who is board certified in otolaryngology.
“Areas of higher altitude have dryer thinner air,” she continues. “Over time most people living in these climates will adjust. People visiting the mountains on holiday would benefit from a humidifier especially at night.”
The humidifier should be placed near the head but not so close that the hot steam coming from it is uncomfortable. The door to the room should be closed for a maximum moistening effect of the air.
Hydration
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Dr. Silvers also says, “It is also important to keep hydrated. Occasionally nasal moisturizers like saline sprays or Rhinaris nasal spray or ointment are over the counter and can be used a few times per day for dryness in the nose.”
A neti pot is another alternative for getting rid of dry crusty gunk in the nose when you wake up.
An NYC expert in ear, nose and throat care, Dr. Silvers has been named among America’s Top Physicians and Surgeons in facial plastic surgery and otolaryngology numerous times since 2003.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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