Breathing using our nose is among the most significant bodily functions.The nose not just heats atmospheric air to body temperature by spinning it inside the nasal cavity, but it also moistens the air so that it does not dry out the delicate tissue further down the airway.

This post describes various parts of the nose and their importance.

OLFACTORY NERVE

The olfactory nerves send signals to the brain. The olfactory nerves do not form two trunks as do the remaining cranial nerves. Rather, they contain a collection of many sensory nerve fibers that extend from the olfactory epithelium to the olfactory bulb, passing through the many openings of the Cribriform plate of the Ethmoid bone, a sieve-like structure.

CILIA

The cilias are hair-like tissues. Properly speaking, the visible nose hair is just hair, not cilia. The nose hair near the front of the nose helps to trap particulate matter, preventing harmful materials from entering the nasal passages and defending the body from potential sources of infection. Because of this important function, many doctors do not recommend trimming nose hair, regardless of how unsightly it could be. Many people are conscious that dogs and some other animals have a much better sense of smell than humans. This is because the interiors of their noses have a much higher surface area, providing more of a space for smells to come into contact with the cilia and therefore making a larger filter for incoming smells.

There are cases in which olfactory cilia could be damaged or absent, impeding sense of smell and creating a condition called anosmia. The common view of anosmia as trivial can make it harder for a patient to get the same types of medical aid as someone who has lost other senses, such as hearing or sight

MUCUS/MUCUS MEMBRANE

A mucous membrane is a layer of epithelial tissue which lines an area of the body which comes into contact with air. Bacteria are also trapped by mucus and killed by an enzyme found there, or by the concentration of nitric oxide gas that the nose produces. Some sections of mucous membrane also have small hairs called cilia which behave as traps, and could move to push things across the surface of the membrane.

It is crucial to remember that the mucous membrane has to be taken good care of properly. Although the mucus really helps to protect the body, its ability to absorption can also become a problem, because many toxins and other harmful materials can be quickly absorbed through the mucosa.

NASAL CAVITY

The nasal cavity allows the passage of air in and out of the nostrils. The nasal cavity conditions the air to be received by the other areas of the respiratory tract. Our nasal cavity is divided into 2 segments referred to as olfactory and respiratory segments.

The respiratory segment is lined with ciliated pseudostratified columnar epithelium (also called respiratory epithelium). The conchae are located in this region. The respiratory segment has a very vascularized lamina propria allowing the venous plexuses of the conchal mucosa to engorge with blood, restricting airflow and causing air to be directed to the other side of the nose. This cycle occurs approximately every 20-30 minutes. Nose bleeds [epitaxis] in the inferior concha are typical in this region.

The olfactory segment is lined with a specialized type of pseudostratified columnar epithelium, called olfactory epithelium, which contains receptors for the sense of the smell. This segment is situated along the dorsal roof of the nasal cavity. Histological sections appear yellowish-brown due to the presence of lipofuscin pigments.

Individuals who have small nasal cavity and that breathing is hard for them, they often times go through nose reshaping cardiff to fix the issue.

NOSTRILS

Nostrils are two openings of the nose where air enters. It lets air in and out of our lungs. The nostrils also consist of tiny hairs to capture dust, pollen and other airborne particles, and the sticky mucus catches those that the hairs miss. Have you ever questioned: what is the value of having 2 nostrils? Most of the times both nostrils receive airflow about equally but at diverse degrees of air flow nostrils start responding in their own way. It’s very important from the defense point of view as one can easily track not by witnessing but just smelling the danger. When we sniff a flower or smell a baked cake both nostrils record the smell signals and take it to the brain to sense it.

The nose plays an essential role, belive it or not. It is the one responsible for the air or oxygen intake and airflow in our body. Are you aware that the nose also plays an important role in what you can taste? It’s very practical to remember that taking good care of our nose is a must so that we could live life normally.

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