What is the reason for constant nasal congestion?

As we all know, the nose is an organ for breathing and is very helpful to the human body. If the nose is always blocked, it will have a great impact. Studies have found that there are many causes of nasal congestion, the most common ones include colds, chronic rhinitis, allergic rhinitis, nasal foreign bodies, sinusitis, nasal polyps, and deviated nasal septum.

1. Cold

Colds are caused by viruses that invade the upper respiratory tract. In the structure of the human respiratory tract, the nasal cavity is the first barrier for the human respiratory tract to face the external air environment, so when faced with virus invasion, the human body will have some self-protection reactions to fight against the invasion of the virus. At this time, the nasal mucosa will try to flush out the virus by secreting a large amount of secretions, and the nasal mucosa will also swell to reduce the amount of air in and out, hoping to reduce the number of viruses entering the nasal cavity. When nasal secretions increase and the nasal mucosa swells, most people will feel nasal congestion.

2. Chronic rhinitis

The nasal scapula in the nasal cavity may gradually thicken due to long-term stimulation from temperature differences, chemical gases or dust, polluted air, exhaust gas from automobile factories, etc. When the nasal scapula thickens to a certain extent, the human body will feel nasal congestion. In a normal person, the nasal scapula on both sides will automatically contract and expand, usually with one side contracting and the other expanding, and the process takes about 6 to 8 hours. Because the air on the contracted side of the nasal scapula can flow in and out smoothly, normal people do not feel nasal congestion. However, if the nasal scapula becomes thicker due to certain factors and cannot effectively contract to a certain extent, it will affect the smooth flow of air in and out, making people feel that breathing is not smooth, that is, having a stuffy nose. If the nasal scapula continues to thicken, resulting in the loss of its physiological contraction and expansion functions, the patient will experience severe and persistent nasal congestion.

3. Allergic rhinitis

Allergic rhinitis is caused by the human body's judgment that the gas entering the upper respiratory tract contains substances that are harmful to the human body, so it initiates some defensive actions to try to remove and block these invading substances. For example, by sneezing (the unit wind speed in the nasal cavity during a sneeze may be close to that during a typhoon), one hopes to expel the invading substances; the nasal mucosa will try to flush out the allergens by secreting a large amount of secretions; the nasal mucosa will also swell to reduce the amount of air entering and leaving, hoping to reduce the amount of allergens entering the nasal cavity. When nasal secretions increase and the nasal mucosa swells, most people will feel nasal congestion.

4. Foreign bodies in the nasal cavity

If a child puts foreign objects such as erasers, beans, or beads into his nose, it will cause air to flow in and out of the nasal passage unsmoothly, causing nasal congestion.

5. Sinusitis and nasal polyps

In sinusitis, thick pus secretions accumulate in the nasal passages and the nasal mucosa swells due to inflammation, which can cause air to flow in and out of the nasal passages unsmoothly, causing nasal congestion. The severity of nasal polyps depends on their size. If the nasal polyps are large, it will cause obstruction of air flow in and out of the nasal cavity, thus causing nasal congestion. If nasal polyps are confined to the middle nasal meatus, they may not necessarily cause nasal congestion.

6. Bent nasal septum

The passage for air to enter and exit the nasal cavity is the space between the nasal septum and the nasal blade. If the nasal septum is bent, the space between the nasal septum and the nasal scapula will be reduced, and air will flow in and out less smoothly. In severe cases, the patient will feel nasal congestion. If the nasal septum bends to the right, theoretically the right side is more likely to feel nasal congestion. However, the left nasal scapula often undergoes compensatory hypertrophy, which reduces the space for air to flow in and out. Therefore, patients with a bent nasal septum often complain of nasal congestion on both sides. In fact, nasal septum deflection is a very common phenomenon. It is estimated that about 80% of people have some deflection in their nasal septum. Therefore, nasal septum deflection does not necessarily need to be treated. It needs to be diagnosed and treated by a professional physician.