7 Medical Causes of Your Stuffy Nose Even though You Don’t Have the Flu

Bumisuka.com – 7 Medical Causes of Your Stuffy Nose Even though You Don’t Have the Flu. When you have a cold or flu, you may experience a stuffy nose that makes it difficult to breathe. The real cause is the accumulation of fluid or mucus in the nasal cavity.

In addition to being uncomfortable, this condition can also reduce appetite and decrease the ability to sense smell. However, what happens if you experience a stuffy nose even though you don’t have a cold or flu?

Does this condition need to be watched out for? Summarized from the Healthline, Medical News Today, and Cleveland Clinic pages, here’s the full explanation!

1. Allergies

Not only the flu and colds, nasal congestion can occur when you are exposed to allergens. This is a natural response of the body’s immune system to a substance that is considered dangerous or also known as an allergen.

Some things that can trigger allergies can be animal dander, pollen, dust, mold, or certain foods. Symptoms can vary from person to person. However, the usual symptoms include nasal congestion, sneezing, reddened skin, and watery eyes.

2. Nasal polyps

Nasal polyps are soft tissue growths in the nasal passages. These lumps can later cause the nose to feel full or stuffy.

However, the soft tissue that grows has a different size in the sufferer. If it is still small, this condition generally does not cause any symptoms. However, nasal polyps cannot be ignored because they run the risk of clogging the airways as they grow in size.

3. Acute sinusitis

Inflammation and swelling that occurs in the sinus area makes the sufferer experience nasal congestion making it difficult to breathe. In addition, other symptoms of acute sinusitis include pain around the face, headaches, decreased sense of smell, and bad breath.

Citing Healthline, the most common causes of sinusitis are influenza virus infection or allergies. Symptoms of this disease also usually last for a span of 7 to 10 days.

4. Occupational asthma

Some people experience asthma at work due to the work environment. This condition is caused by inhaling pollutants such as chemical fumes, dust, or other substances. Symptoms include shortness of breath, nasal congestion, wheezing, sneezing, and chest tightness.

Occupational asthma or also called occupational asthma is only experienced by adults when they work. However, someone who has allergies or a family history of asthma is more likely to develop this condition.

5. Non-allergic rhinitis

Non-allergic rhinitis makes sufferers experience nasal congestion or runny and sneezing for no apparent reason. This condition can be experienced by both children and adults.

However, it is more common in individuals aged 20 years or older, as explained on the Mayo Clinic website. Although the exact cause is not known. However, experts suspect that changes in the weather, certain foods, medications, and dust could be a contributing factor.

6. Alcohol intolerance

Alcohol is a toxic substance that cannot be stored in the body. However, the liquor is then converted into acetic acid thanks to the help of the enzyme aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH).

These enzymes are known to play an important role in the metabolism of alcohol, including ethanol. This is the reason why liquor does not cause allergic reactions. Unfortunately, things are different in individuals with alcohol intolerance.

The reason, their bodies experience a deficiency or absence of the enzyme ALDH. For this reason, reactions such as a flushed face that feels warm, nausea or vomiting, a faster heart rate, and nasal congestion after drinking alcohol.

7. Sleep apnea

Sleep disorders such as sleep apnea cause a person to repeatedly stop breathing while at rest. This condition is characterized by loud snoring and still feeling tired after waking up.

This sleep disorder can also cause a stuffy nose shortly after waking from sleep. The triggers of sleep apnea are very diverse, such as being overweight (obesity), sinusitis, alcohol consumption, and old age.

Although it looks trivial, nasal congestion can interfere with comfort, decrease appetite and difficulty sleeping. What’s more, this condition can also be caused by other, more serious health problems. So if you experience it for days and accompanied by other symptoms, immediately consult a doctor, yes.