Booger Facts
Crusty, gunky, drippy. What’s in a booger? And why does your nose run? Learn booger facts here.
Booger Fact 1:
When you have a cold virus, your body defends itself by making lots of snot. It’s your body’s way of trying to flush the virus out! After a few days your boogers may become white or yellow. That’s your immune system creating cells to fight back. Hiya!
Booger Fact 2:
Snot is made mostly of water. But, water is only one ingredient. Snot is also made of tiny particles that are in the air we breathe like germs, dust and pollen. When air debris gets trapped in your tiny little nose hairs, it mixes with snot or mucus and from there, can become a booger.
Average number of colds per year
Colds are the most common illness among children, with most colds lasting about a week. Cold season typically runs from September until March or April.
What’s faster: A sneeze or a cheetah?
It seems crazy, but it’s a sneeze!
A sneeze clocks in at 100 mph—faster than a cheetah can run! (Now that’s a fast booger fact.) A single sneeze can send 100,000 germs into the air! This is actually a way for your body to protect itself and clear the nose of bacteria and viruses. (Just remember to cover when you sneeze!)
The sneeziest animal? The iguana.
Iguanas sneeze more often and more productively than any other animal, according to Patti Wood, author of Success Signals: Understanding Body Language. Sneezing is how they rid their bodies of certain salts that are the normal byproduct of their digestive process.
Why does my nose run?
Cold/Flu
To keep germs out of your lungs and body, your nose makes more mucus. This extra mucus runs down your throat or out your nose. Some mucus makes itself at home in your sinuses, making you feel all stuffy up there.
Allergens
If you’re near something you are allergic to, like pet dander or fancy flowers, your nose treats them like germs. Your mucus producers work extra hard, which means it’s time to grab a Boogie WipesⓇ saline nose wipe.
Crying
Crying also makes your nose run. Why? Well, tears drain through the tear ducts that empty into your nose, where they mix with mucus. And poof: a runny nose.
Cold Air
When your nose is cold, it tries to warm up the cold air you breathe before sending it to the lungs. Tiny blood vessels inside your nostrils open wider, helping to warm up that air—and creating more mucus production.
