3 ms·
I've thought that you are only breathing through one hole of your nose? Is there still some minor airflow through the other hole to enable stereo olfaction?
by est31 6y ago
I've thought that you are only breathing through one hole of your nose? Is there still some minor airflow through the other hole to enable stereo olfaction?
- gridspy 6y agoIf one of your nostrils is permanently blocked, this is abnormal. Perhaps you want to see an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist?
- din-9 6y agoThey were referring to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasal_cycle https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasal_cycle I assume.
- est31 6y agoIndeed I was. E.g. check this figure: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5053491/figure/pone.0162918.g011/?report=objectonly https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5053491/figure/... One nostril has basically no pressure changes while the other one does. How can you smell that way in stereo?
- jessaustin 6y agoPresumably breathing has no effect on the diffusion of odors from far away to the immediate vicinity of the nostrils. So, diffusion can also take odors from the temporarily-inactive nostril deeper into the sinus.
- gridspy 6y agoInteresting, thanks for educating me :)
- blacksmith_tb 6y agoI think that's a reference to the nasal cycle[1]. I notice it pretty commonly when sleeping, but during waking hours, esp. if I am exercising, both nostrils seem to be unblocked. 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasal_cycle https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasal_cycle
- floatingatoll 6y agoIf it changes sides over time, and there is minor airflow through the slower side, then yes, that's apparently normal. If it doesn't change sides over time, or if airflow remains completely blocked through the non-open side throughout every day, look into it further. (This is not a complete ENT diagnosis flowchart and is not a substitute for an ENT consultation, but has enough detail to survive the basic hypochondria issues of reading Internet medical articles.)
- keenmaster 6y agoIf the study is true, and Dr. HN has diagnosed you correctly, you have a nasal version of amblyopia accompanied by attenuated stereonasal perception.