# A question about stuffy noses.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-stuffy-noses/446700>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 24, 2008, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-stuffy-noses/446700 "2008-04-24T16:23:28Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![diggleblop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@diggleblop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diggleblop)\
**Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-stuffy-noses/446700/1 "2008-04-24T16:23:28Z")

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This is a weird phenomenon that happens to me. I don’t know about anyone else, but when I have a stuffy nose (like i do now) I can’t breath out of it at all. Now the weird thing is, when I’m sitting or laying down, it’s completely stuffed up, no air in or out at all.

As soon as I stand up, it opens up and a little air can get through. It’s still clogged a little, but as soon as I stand up…POOF…I can breath better, I feel my nose unclog and the pressure release a bit. Soon as I lay or sit back down it’ll get clogged again.

Why does this happen? Does it happen to anyone else?

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**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\
**Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-stuffy-noses/446700/2 "2008-04-24T16:50:43Z")

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I’ve looked this up before. One of the reasons the nose clears a bit is that walking around creates extra blood flow and allows the tissues in the nasal passages to relax a bit.

Laying down increases the pressure and can help irritate the tissues above and beyond what the cold is doing.

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**Author:** ![diggleblop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@diggleblop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diggleblop)\
**Post date:** [April 26, 2008, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-stuffy-noses/446700/3 "2008-04-26T08:34:19Z")

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thanks

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**Author:** ![Gymnopithys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/fbc32d/32.png) [@Gymnopithys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gymnopithys)\
**Post date:** [April 26, 2008, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-stuffy-noses/446700/4 "2008-04-26T09:13:00Z")

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Same thing with me. Your stuffy nose may be due to an allergy.  
Get better!