Psychosomatics of a chronic runny nose
A long-lasting runny nose without a cold or allergy is called non-allergic rhinitis. Your nose is blocked or runny, you sneeze, and mucus drips down your throat. Weather, smoke and smells, alcohol and spicy food, hormones and decongestant drops used for more than a week can set it off. Salt water rinses and sprays from a doctor usually help. The Ladder method adds questions about your personal space, and it does not replace a doctor.
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When to see a doctor
An ENT doctor looks at a chronic runny nose, sometimes together with an allergist. The doctor examines your nose, asks what sets it off and about medicines, and may test for allergies to tell them apart from non-allergic rhinitis. Treatment is chosen to fit the cause.
In the Ladder method
In the Ladder method a chronic runny nose is not explained as "you are crying inside". You are not to blame. It is worth having your nose checked by an ENT doctor first and removing what irritates it, including decongestant drops. Questions to yourself belong next to treatment, not instead of it.
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In the method the nose fits the image of "your own air": whether you have a place and time where you breathe freely, who and what takes up all your space, whether you can step away when you feel stifled around people. It is an image, not the cause, and it does not replace treatment.
On the ladder this shows up as the steps "I have nowhere to go" and "I will have time for myself later". You can work through them at your own pace alongside rinses and sprays.
These are questions for reflection, not an explanation of what causes the condition and not a treatment.
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How it shows up
Book a doctor’s appointment if you notice:
- Blocked or runny nose for weeks
- Frequent sneezing
- Mucus dripping down the back of your throat
- Harder to breathe through your nose in the cold, with smells and smoke
- Snoring and poor sleep from a blocked nose
- Hard to breathe without decongestant drops
What medicine knows
The NHS says non-allergic rhinitis is like an allergy: your nose is blocked or runny, you sneeze, and mucus drips down the back of your throat. But there is no allergy, and it is not a cold.
It can be set off by changes in weather and humidity, exercise, smoke, perfume and strong smells, alcohol and spicy food. It can come with hormonal changes: in pregnancy, on the contraceptive pill and with an underactive thyroid.
It can also be kept going by some medicines and by decongestant drops and sprays used for more than a week: the nose gets used to them and blocks up more.
Rinsing your nose with salt water and avoiding what irritates it help. A doctor may prescribe steroid or antihistamine sprays. If it affects your daily life and sleep, you need a doctor.
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Frequently asked questions
Why is my nose blocked without a cold or allergy?
It may be non-allergic rhinitis. It can be set off by weather, smoke and smells, alcohol, spicy food, hormones and some medicines (NHS).
What does a chronic runny nose mean in psychosomatics?
There is no proven "meaning". In the Ladder method a runny nose becomes a reason to ask yourself whether you have space of your own and a place where you breathe freely. It is a question to yourself, not a diagnosis.
Can I use decongestant drops for a long time?
The NHS advises against using decongestant drops and sprays for more than a week: they make the nose block up even more. If it is hard to breathe without them, see an ENT doctor, who will choose other treatment.
Related topics
Psychosomatics does not replace tests and treatment. Only a doctor can make a diagnosis.