Prevent a Runny Nose in Cold Weather

A runny nose is a common occurrence in cold weather. It occurs because, as your nasal passages try to warm the air before it reaches your lungs, there is production of additional fluid.[1] Therefore, the way to prevent a runny nose in cold weather is to warm and moisten the air before it reaches your nose.

Steps

Preventing and Treating a Runny Nose From Cold Weather

  1. Wrap your nose and mouth with a wool scarf when outdoors. Breathing through the scarf will warm the space between your face and the scarf. You will also exhale moisture into the space which will moisten the air. By warming and moistening the space, your sinuses won't have to produce as much moisture and your nose will not run.[2]
  2. Run a humidifier when indoors. The air may be warm enough, but if it's too dry it may still trigger a runny nose. You can use individual room humidifiers or have a whole-house humidifier installed.
  3. Use a saline nasal spray to moisten your nasal passages. This runny nose remedy will keep your nasal passages moist and help prevent you from over-producing mucus.[3]
  4. Try a medicated nasal spray such as Dristan (or anything that has "pseudoephedrine" listed in the ingredients). It is not recommended to use this on a regular basis, but it okay to use now and then if you have important things to do in the colder weather and you don't want your runny nose to get the best of you. For instance, if you are a competitive skier, you may want to use a nasal spray before your race.[4]
    • What it does is prevent fluid build-up for a little while, allowing you to complete your activity (such as the race) without worrying about your nose running.[4]
    • However, it can sometimes cause more of a runny nose after the nasal spray wears off, so this is why it is not recommended to use on a daily basis.[4]
    • If Dristan or another over-the-counter nasal spray is insufficient, see your doctor about the option for a stronger prescription corticosteroid nasal spray.[5]
  5. Take an over-the-counter decongestant pill. Something like Sudafed (or anything with "pseudoephedrine" in the ingredients list) should work well. You can speak to the pharmacist for advice if you would like help choosing one.[6]
    • Taking this type of medication will notably decrease the amount of mucus production in your nose, alleviating symptoms of runny nose from the cold.
    • However, once again it is important not to use this frequently, as it can worsen your runny nose when the medication wears off. Therefore, only use it if there is something important you want to do in the colder weather, and it is important to you not to have your nose run for that period of time.

Assessing the Cause of Your Runny Nose

  1. Be aware of possible diagnoses. When your nose runs, it may be due to sickness (which will likely be accompanied by other symptoms of a "cold," such as sore throat, cough, etc), being upset (when we cry, excess water from our tears drains through the nose), or cold weather (as our nasal passages are designed to heat the air before it reaches our lungs, and in order to do so your nose produces extra fluid in the cold weather).[2]
    • It may also be related to allergies, irritants in your environment (such as smoke), or a side effect of certain medications.
  2. Understand why your nose runs when it's cold. When you breathe through your nose, your sinuses warm and moisten the air by swirling it around the mucous membranes that line the passages. This prevents you from irritating your lungs and throat with air that is cooler than your body temperature.[1]
    • Water is a by-product of this process and the excess runs down the back of your throat and out your nose.[1]
    • Your sinuses perform this function year round, but because of the temperature difference in cooler weather (especially in wintertime) it is more pronounced in the cold.[1]
  3. Know that runny noses from the cold are extremely common. Therefore, they are nothing to get overly worried about. They are so common, in fact, that sometimes it is called "skier's nose" due to the fact that nearly 100% of competitive snow sport athletes complain about runny nose![2]
    • A runny nose from the cold is NOT related to an illness (and not related to the "common cold.")[2]
    • Although many people believe there is a link between cold weather and "catching a cold," this is thought to be due to spending more time indoors where people's germs are more readily passed to one another (and is not thought to be related so much to the cold outside).[2]

Tips

  • Avoid breathing through your mouth. While it may be tempting, doing so will expose your throat to cold, dry air, which may cause a sore throat, dry mouth and a cough. Your body is designed to breathe through the nose to prevent these symptoms.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99844567
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 http://www.everydayhealth.com/healthy-living/why-does-your-nose-run-when-its-cold.aspx
  3. ↑ http://www.webmd.com/allergies/saline-spray
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 http://www.drugs.com/mtm/dristan-sinus.html
  5. ↑ https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/patientinstructions/000404.htm
  6. ↑ http://www.webmd.com/allergies/guide/decongestants
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