Nasal cycle

The nasal cycle is the unconscious alternating partial congestion and decongestion of the nasal cavities in humans and other animals. This results in greater airflow through one nostril with periodic alternation between the nostrils. It is a physiological congestion of the nasal conchae, also called the nasal turbinates (curled bony projections within the nasal cavities), due to selective activation of one half of the autonomic nervous system by the hypothalamus. It should not be confused with pathological nasal congestion. Description The nasal cycle was studied and discussed in the ancient Indian yoga of literature of pranayama. In the modern western literature, it was first described by the German physician Richard Kayser in 1895.In 1927, Heetderks described the alternating turgescence of the inferior turbinates in 80% of a normal population. According to Heetderks, the cycle is the result of alternating congestion and...

Cykl nosowy i niedrożność nosa Gdynia