Milky white, yellow, green... I have a cold, why are the snots different colors?

Whenever we have a cold, we usually have a symptom - runny nose. This sticky, unpleasant-sounding secretion actually has some knowledge. Why do people have runny noses when they have a cold, and where does the snot come from? Why do snot even have different colors, and what secrets are there behind the different colors? Let's learn about the "little-known facts" about snot today.

01What exactly is snot?

Most of the mucus is secreted by the nasal mucosa itself. It is a barrier to protect the body, preventing the nasal mucosa from drying out, moistening the inhaled air, and sticking to the dust, pollen, and microorganisms inhaled from the air to prevent them from irritating the respiratory tract or causing infection.

As the saying goes, "a handful of snot and a handful of tears", a small amount of snot is converted from tears. When people cry, tears flow from the tear ducts connecting the eyes and nasal cavity to the nasal cavity, forming snot that flows out of the nasal cavity.

Normal people secrete about 500-1000ml of nasal mucus every day, which is equivalent to the amount of two bottles of mineral water. Most of the nasal mucus flows along the direction of the movement of the nasal hair to the throat and pharynx, and is "eaten" by us. But don't worry, nasal mucus contains a lot of lysozyme, which will destroy bacteria and viruses in the air. Even if it is swallowed, it will not harm human health. At the same time, gastric acid can also remove impurities and bacteria in the air. A small part of the nasal mucus will evaporate and dry to produce solid nasal mucus, which will be cleared out of the nasal cavity.

02.What colors does snot come in?

The snot we usually see comes in different colors, including clear snot, milky white, yellow-green, pink... These snots of different colors and properties are actually deciphering the health signals sent by the body.

Normal nasal mucus is clear, secreted by the nasal mucosal glands, and its main components include water, protein, and lysozyme. However, if the amount of clear nasal mucus is too large, it means that you may be in the early stages of a cold.

Milky white snot is sticky and not easy to blow out, and is usually accompanied by difficulty breathing. Its appearance indicates that there is some infection in the upper respiratory tract of the body. The tissues in the nasal cavity begin to become congested and swollen, and the nasal mucosa thickens, which slows down the secretion of normal tissue fluid. The usually transparent and healthy mucus lacks sufficient water, and the concentration of mucin increases, so the snot becomes thick and sticky and appears milky white. Generally, it is more common in the late stage of influenza, colds caused by colds, or symptoms of chronic sinusitis. At this time, you need to drink more hot water, eat a light diet; ensure adequate sleep; pay attention to the freshness of indoor air and ventilate in time.

Yellow snot accumulates in the nasal cavity and is thicker in texture. Fever is an obvious symptom at this stage. Its appearance means that the immune cells in the body are fighting against the virus. The remains of the immune cells and the eliminated viruses turn the snot yellow. At this time, you need to clean the snot in time; follow the doctor's advice to use medicine to cooperate with the treatment; in terms of diet, you can take easily digestible foods containing high vitamins and high proteins, and eat less greasy and high-fat foods to enhance resistance.

Green snot is an advanced version of yellow snot, which proves that the invading virus and bacteria are very powerful, and the immune cells are at a disadvantage in the battle, resulting in heavy casualties. In this way, the remains of immune cells will make the snot green and sticky, and the duration often takes 5-7 days or even longer. At this stage, in addition to seeing a doctor and following the doctor's advice, you must also ensure rest, stay in a good mood, and eat a light and diversified diet.

In addition, there is bloody nasal discharge, that is, there is blood in the nasal discharge. In terms of the amount of blood , a small amount of nose bleeding may be caused by damage to the mucosal capillaries, while a large amount of nose bleeding may be caused by rupture of the nasal mucosal arteries and veins.

Colds, allergic rhinitis, and chronic rhinitis can cause the nasal mucosa to become congested and fragile. When you blow your nose or rub your nose, it may cause small blood vessels on the nasal mucosa to rupture, and blood will naturally appear in your nasal mucus.

Sometimes there will be a lot of bleeding, especially in patients with some medical diseases. The high amount of blood may be caused by nasal trauma, deviated nasal septum, sinusitis, nasal foreign body blockage, benign and malignant tumors of the nasal cavity and sinuses, nasopharyngeal cancer, etc. Sticky, smelly and discolored nasal discharge is a sign of chronic sinusitis. Due to the continuous swelling of the nasal cavity or throat tissue, the amount of mucus produced will increase. When the above nasal discharge phenomenon occurs, you must pay attention to it, observe the symptoms, seek timely treatment, and seek help from a doctor to reduce the risk of worsening of the disease.

Finally, here is a warm reminder on "how to blow your nose correctly". When you have a lot of mucus, you can inhale the mucus back into the pharynx and then spit it out through the mouth. Try to avoid blowing your nose hard to avoid increasing the risk of otitis media.