A Gift from My Husband: A Nasty Cold

By Eva Briggs, M.D.

My husband gave me a fine New Year gift — a nasty cold.

Neither of us tested positive for flu or COVID-19, but whichever virus we had was exceptionally skilled at triggering mucus production.

Lots and lots of it.

We used up boxes and boxes of tissues.

That led me to ponder something that I’ve wondered about since medical school. A lecturer told us that on the average a person’s nose and sinuses produces 1.5 liters of mucus every day. So, who figured that out? And how did they measure that? After all, under normal conditions you don’t even notice that flow of thin mucus as you swallow it each day. Even Google didn’t tell me the answer.

So if anyone knows how they derived that baseline figure, feel free to let me know.

Curious investigators have actually measured how much snot you produce when you have a cold. They weighed tissues dry and again after they tissues were used. The scientists then calculated the weight of mucus. The answer they came up with was a paltry 30.4 grams per day! That’s just over an ounce. Not even enough to fill a coffee cup. I admit that I am not sure that I believe that. It seems low given the number of boxes of tissues my husband and I blew through in a week. Perhaps next time I get a cold I’ll think to measure it myself. Maybe it’s because there are more than 160 strains of rhinovirus as well as other viruses that can cause colds. Perhaps the strain the scientists used in their study wasn’t as potent as whatever went through our household last week. Or maybe I’m a super producer? It’s been theorized that super producers exist, but it hasn’t been confirmed. Just my luck that snot-making would be my superpower.

What is in all that mucus anyway? It’s actually a complex mixture of mucin proteins and water. Mucus acts as a first line immune defense against cold viruses. When you have a cold, your body diverts extra blood to your nasal tissue. The blood delivers extra nutrients and oxygen to specialized goblet cells, allowing them to work overtime producing mucus. That extra blood flow also causes your nasal tissue to swell. So, you can blow and blow and blow some more and still feel completely plugged.

There’s no simple cure. As miserable as a cold can make you feel, your body will fight it off eventually. Since colds are caused by viruses, antibiotics won’t help. Things to try at home include rest, fluids and applying a warm washcloth to your face. Other remedies are inhaling steam from a shower or a cool mist vaporizer and saline sprays or rinses.

Decongestant nasal sprays may provide short-term relief. But if used beyond a few days they can cause rebound. This means that when they wear off, the nasal passages become more swollen and you feel even more miserable. Decongestant and antihistamine pills provide minimal benefit, have potential side effects and shouldn’t be used at all in children younger than 6. Ibuprofen or acetaminophen treat pain such as headache or sinus pain but won’t alleviate congestion.

Vitamin C before you are sick may prevent a cold. But starting it after symptoms develop may not help much. The evidence for zinc lozenges and syrup is mixed. But don’t use zinc products that you place inside your nose because this can wipe out your sense of smell.

What if your mucus changes from clear to green or yellow? Does that mean that there is a sinus infection that needs antibiotics? Green and yellow simply mean that your body is making white blood cells that are helping combat the virus. Bacterial sinus infections are diagnosed by duration (a cold not improving after 14 days), severity (such as development of a fever) or “double sickening.” Double sickening means that your cold has started to improve and then your mucus production and sinus pain worsens.

Let’s hope that the winter respiratory illness season ends soon!