Cold and flu season is here, which means lots and lots of snot. Show  If you’re sick and experiencing nasal congestion, it can be tempting to forcefully blow your nose to get rid of runny mucus. But according to experts, blowing your nose too hard could potentially do damage — both minor and major. WATCH BELOW: Staying healthy during the cold & flu season
5:37 Staying healthy during the cold & flu season “The issue with blowing your nose too hard is that air and pressure can go into places that you don’t necessarily want it to go into,” said Dr. Vincent Lin, an otolaryngologist and surgeon at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto. Story continues below advertisement Lin said one of these places is the ears, as the pressure can cause them to become blocked — a similar sensation to when an airplane takes off and your ears “pop.” “The eustachian tube basically connects your ear to the back of your nose and allows you to change pressure,” he explained to Global News, adding that the tube is a one-way valve. In order to help alleviate that pressure, swallowing and yawning can open up the valve and allow air to move into the ear, he said. READ MORE: Foods and supplements that may help you fight the flu this season What are some serious risks of aggressive nose blowing?While blocked ears is an annoying feeling, it’s rarely serious unless you have a faulty valve in your ear, Lin said. “For people who have a faulty valve and blow their nose really hard, they blow air up the [eustachian] tube and into the ear, [and] the eardrum can pop out … and can cause what’s called barotrauma,” he said. Story continues below advertisement “This means you can get very, very dizzy all of a sudden and it can sometimes cause permanent hearing and balance loss.” Trending Now While rare, there have also been reported cases of orbital blowout fractures from nose blowing. Lin said he’s seen patients who’ve developed meningitis from aggressive blowing as well. READ MORE: With winter on the way, here are 7 home remedies to help tackle your cough But in the case of meningitis, however, people often have an underlying health problem and the nose blowing is what introduces the bacteria that becomes meningitis. In other words, the serious repercussions of nose blowing are not common, Lin said, and most people are likely to just block their ears. How to properly blow your noseWhile we often reach for a tissue and blow both nostrils at once, some people suggest blowing one nostril at a time to help alleviate pressure. WATCH BELOW: Tips for tackling cold and flu symptoms 4:21 Tips for tackling cold and flu symptoms But Lin said that the single nostril method isn’t really necessary, and the best thing to do is blow your nose gently. Story continues below advertisement “You want to try to avoid doing anything in extreme, so you don’t want to blow super, super hard,” he said. “If you blow gently, everything will clear just as it would [from] blowing your nose hard.” © 2018 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc. Whether it's down to the common cold, hay fever or sinus problems, a runny nose can be incredibly frustrating and tiresome. In an attempt to clear the nasal passages, many of us give our noses a forceful blow. But this may be causing more harm than good. Senior lecturer David King, from The University of Queensland, asserts that some people may suffer serious damage from this type of nose blowing. The expert suggests we should try to blow our noses in a gentler manner or even use saline solution. Juice Images LtdGetty Images "On balance it seems repeated and vigorous blowing of the nose may carry more risk than benefit, even though it seems to be a natural response to nasal congestion," he wrote for The Conversation. "So looking to remove the need to blow so forcefully is probably a better option." He goes on to say that blowing too hard can sometimes result in severe damage. In extreme cases, some have even fractured the base of their eye sockets or pushed air into the tissue between the two lobes of the lung. "In most of these cases people had underlying chronic sinusitis or an existing weakness in the structure they damaged after blowing too hard," he said. "If you have mucus in the nose, it is probably best to get it out, so blow gently or by clearing one nostril at a time. Use of appropriate treatments can lessen the need to blow, and the force required to clear your nose." Dr King suggests decongestant sprays and saline nose sprays can all help in freeing the nose from mucus. Can blowing your nose too hard cause damage?Don't blow your nose forcefully. It might feel good to do this at the time but it can do damage, especially to your ears - the benchmark for blowing your nose too hard is making your ears pop. If that's happening then try to bring the intensity down a bit.
How can I get my smell back in my sinuses?Your sense of smell may go back to normal in a few weeks or months. Treating the cause might help. For example, steroid nasal sprays or drops might help if you have sinusitis or nasal polyps. A treatment called "smell training" can also help some people.
Can a clogged nose cause loss of smell?According to Tajudeen, smell loss is most commonly caused by nasal and sinus inflammation. This inflammation can occur due to sinusitis, polyps in the nose and even allergies. It can act as a barrier for smell molecules to enter your nose, meaning you can't physically pick up the smell.
Can you damage your ability to smell?The Basics of Smell
These nerve cells then send information to the brain, where the specific smell is identified. Anything that interferes with these processes, such as nasal congestion, nasal blockage, or damage to the nerve cells themselves, can lead to loss of smell.
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Can blowing your nose too hard cause loss of smell
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