You may wake up with a sore throat, a hacking cough, or simply clearing your throat every morning -- or you may just feel as if something has settled in the back of your throat. Any of those experiences could mean that you've got postnasal drip.
On any given day, you've got one to two quarts of mucus running down the back of your throat. That's an awful lot of slime running through your head, but it serves a significant purpose. Mucus acts as a broom, cleaning out the nasal passages. It kicks out bacteria, viruses, and other infection-causing invaders and clears out other foreign particles. Mucus also helps humidify the air that travels in your body, keeping you and your insides comfortable. Unless you think about it, you probably don't even notice all that mucus making its way down your throat. But if you become acutely aware of mucus in the back of your throat, or feel as if someone has turned on a faucet in your head, you're probably dealing with postnasal drip.
Postnasal drip happens when mucus production goes awry. There may be an overproduction of mucus, which gives you that typical drip, drip, drip feeling in the back of your throat. The mucus is clear, thin, and very runny. At the other extreme is thick, sticky mucus that is yellow or green. This kind of mucus occurs when mucus production slows down and thickens, hanging around in the throat.
Many factors can trigger a change in mucus production, including:
Allergies. If you can tell spring is coming by the amount of tissue on your dashboard, you've probably got a hay fever allergy -- one of the most common causes of postnasal drip.
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There are many home remedies for postnasal drip that you can use to alleviate some of the discomfort. Learn about home remedies for postnasal drip.
Air pollution. Some major pollutants in smog, such as nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide, can make your mucus go haywire.
Cold air. When you step outside on a cold wintry day, your nose is likely to start dripping. The same increase in mucus production happens when you're in any cold, dry environment.
Colds and flu. Your nose runs during a cold or the flu to get rid of unfriendly bacterial or viral invaders. So, if you think about it, postnasal drip is actually a great defense. Try to remember that when your nose is raw from blowing it.
Deviated septum. This is a technical term that means the cartilage that divides the nose into two sides has moved. It may be an innate structural problem, or it may be caused from that thwack in the nose you got while playing patty-cake with your one-year-old. Whatever the cause, a deviated septum can alter mucus flow.
Dusty or smoky conditions. Dust and smoke can dry out your nose and make it tough to produce an adequate amount of mucus, so the mucus you do produce gets thicker. As a result, you end up clearing your throat every few seconds.
Getting older. Another one of the joys of passing years is that your mucus production slows down and your mucus gets thicker. That's why you hear older men hacking when they wake up. Thicker mucus takes some time to get moving through the throat. Swallowing muscles get weaker as you get older, too, so you may not be able to get rid of mucus as well as you once could.
Nasal or sinus polyps. Okay, so "polyps" is not a word you really like to hear, especially when they're growing in your nose. But polyps are typically noncancerous growths that simply obstruct or change mucus flow.
Pregnancy. A change in hormones seems to cause postnasal drip problems in some pregnant women.
Sinus infections. Your doctor calls it "sinusitis." Infection in the four cavities surrounding your nose can make you miserable. Sinuses can become swollen or blocked, and bacteria set up shop, causing a mean infection. Thick green or yellow mucus is a good indication that you have a sinus infection. Don't let this one go without seeing a doctor. Antibiotics are the only way to completely clear it up.
Some medicines. Antihistamines, diuretics, and some tranquilizers can dry up mucus production. When those commercials say that a product gives you "dry mouth," you can bet it gives you a dry nose and throat, too.
Some home remedies can ease the symptoms of postnasal drip and might be able to prevent the problem. Keep reading to learn more.
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