Yes, there actually is a right way to blow your nose! Medical researchers actually measured the intranasal pressure during nose blowing and found that the pressure is 10 times greater than when you sneeze or cough. If you’re wondering what the big deal is about then you might want to read on.

The New York Times reported on medical research carried out by Dr. J. Owen Hendley and others at the University of Virginia to see if nose blowing during a cold actually made the cold worse. Think back to your last cold (some might have one now). Did you notice that the more vigorously you blew, the more nasally congested you became?

Well Dr. Hendley’s team found that forceful blowing can actually propel bacteria and viruses back into the sinus cavities trapping them. This may explain why secondary bacterial sinus infections develop several days after the common cold.

The best way to minimize the risk of stuffing up your nasal sinuses with pathogens is to blow one nostril at a time.

Follow these links for more trivia about nose blowing, sinus infections and nose bleeds.