Nasal strips have been around for decades, which somehow makes them one of the most misunderstood products on the pharmacy shelf. Here are six facts about how they actually work that may surprise even people who have been using them for years.
1. The narrowest point of your entire airway is in the nose, not the throat
Most people think the throat is the narrowest part of the entire airway because snoring and sleep apnea are most often discussed in that context. In fact, the nasal valve, a small, flexible area just behind the nostrils, is the narrowest point in the entire system. Narrower than your throat, your trachea, or anywhere else that air needs to pass through.
2. Your nose alternates which side is more open throughout the day and night
There is a documented process called the nasal cycle, where blood flow alternates between the two nostrils. One side is more open, while the other is slightly more congested. Almost no one notices this consciously, even though it happens in the background every single day of your life.
3. Lying down alone is enough to make your nose feel stuffier
You don't have to be sick or suffer from allergies for your nose to feel more congested at night. Gravity redistributes your blood as soon as you lie flat, causing the tissue in your nose to swell slightly. This has nothing to do with a cold and everything to do with basic physics acting on your body position.
4. Your nose produces a gas that helps the lungs absorb oxygen
Nasal tissue produces nitric oxide, which travels with inhaled air through the nose into the lungs and plays a role in how efficiently oxygen passes into the blood. Mouth breathing skips this step entirely because none of it is produced there. The same air can therefore be processed less efficiently, depending on the path it took into your body.
5. Studies have measured around 30 percent more airflow from a strip alone
This isn't an estimate from the marketing department. Using a method called Peak Nasal Inspiratory Flow, studies have measured airflow directly, with and without a strip, and found average increases in this range. A thin adhesive strip with a curved plastic core provided a measurable, repeatable result using nothing more complex than tension.
6. Nasal strips do almost nothing for sleep apnea, despite decades of assumptions
Because nasal strips and sleep apnea are constantly mentioned in the same conversations about snoring, many assume one treats the other. Research consistently suggests otherwise. Sleep apnea occurs deep in the throat, in an entirely different location than the nasal valve where a strip works. This is why studies find little to no relevant change in apnea severity from strips alone.