During the winter, Brad sleeps in a dorm room that lacks a humidifier for the heated air. In the mornings he notices that his nose is "stuffy," similar to when he has a cold, but after showering and drinking some water, the stuffiness disappears until the next morning. What might be the cause of Brad's nasal condition?

What will be an ideal response?


Since the air that Brad is breathing is not humidified (thus dry), large amounts of moisture are leaving the mucus to humidify the air that is being respired. This makes the mucus tacky and the cilia have difficulty moving. As more mucus is produced, it builds up, forming the nasal congestion in the morning. As Brad showers and drinks fluid, the moisture is replaced and the mucus loosens up and is moved along the proper route as usual. The reason this happens mostly at night is because Brad is probably not getting up frequently to drink water to replace what is being lost to humidify the air.

Anatomy & Physiology

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