Buzz
Hit play on a sad movie, and you might notice your face becoming a soaked mess. It's not just the tears (and the makeup they've ruined)—there's also the flood of mucus.
Though the reason behind human tears from an evolutionary standpoint is still unclear, the way they occur is much more straightforward. Emotional triggers send signals from your brain to your tear ducts to produce those tears.
However, those signals don't reach your nose. So why does it seem like your nose is working overtime to produce mucus? The truth is, it’s not doing anything extra.
When you cry, some of your tears simply trickle down your face. Others, however, pass through your tear ducts and into your nasal passages. There, they mix with mucus, creating an excess fluid that drips out of your nose.
As Dr. Erich Voigt, M.D., director of the Department of General and Sleep Otolaryngology at NYU Langone Medical Center, explained to SELF, 'You’re not producing more mucus; it’s just the tears draining and blending with the mucus that's already present.'
This is not the case with other conditions that lead to a runny nose. For instance, when you consume something spicy, your mucous membranes actually produce more mucus to help flush out the 'spicy' compounds before they can affect your respiratory system. Your mucous membranes also increase mucus production in cold weather to warm and humidify the dry air before it enters your lungs.
While a strong blow into a tissue may seem like the best method for clearing out excess mucus, applying too much force can lead to other complications. Here’s how (and how not) to blow your nose.
