Nose allows us to breathe because it allows air and oxygen to enter the body, air passes through the bronchi and then reaches the lungs.
Nose, however, has other fundamental functions; in fact, it is the first part of the body that comes into contact with inhaled air and therefore with potentially harmful foreign particles.
In order to protect the body from foreign pathogens and to facilitate the passage of air, the nose has three fundamental functions:
The small eyelashes that cover the mucous membrane have the important task of cleaning the air from all those foreign substances that may be harmful to the body.
Some diseases of the respiratory tract, such as sinusitis, are caused precisely by bacteria that settle and reproduce in the lashes and reduce the circulation of mucus, causing the nose to close.
In order to preserve the well-being of the breath of adults and children, it is important to take care of the nose not only in case of genuine affections but also with proper daily hygiene.
Daily hygiene for children
During the first few months of life, children breathe almost exclusively with their noses, which is therefore an important barrier against viruses, bacteria and irritating substances. If the nose is closed, the discomfort for the baby can be very strong, making sleep and feeding difficult.
The technique of blowing the nose is usually acquired towards the third year of life and the intensity of sneezing is not sufficient to make the nose free from irritating agents; for the child's well-being it is therefore useful to take care of respiratory hygiene.
Daily hygiene for adults
In recent years,there has been increasing talk of indoor pollution.
The air that breathes inside houses, offices and schools can be polluted at least as much as the outside air because of the presence of particles that are potentially harmful to the well-being of the respiratory tract.
The most harmful pollutant is cigarette smoke, there is a correlation between respiratory infections, coughing and asthma, and also passive smoking.
Other important causes of irritation and infection of the respiratory tract are heating or air conditioning which not only cause temperature changes but also make the air drier, increasing the formation of dust that irritates the respiratory tract.
Cold (or rhinitis) is one of the most common upper airway viral infections in the world and can be caused by more than 200 different types of viruses.
The most obvious symptom of the cold is the congested nose and it is commonly caused by two natural responses to inflammation:
- Vasodilatation of small blood vessels present in the nostrils (nose congestion)
- Excessive production of thick and whitish mucus (rinorrhoea)
