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Is it normal to be able to shut your nose from within? (blackneon.net)
submitted 1 year ago by to c/showerthoughts@lemmy.world
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Just for perspective: I am a man in my mid-40s and for as long as i can remember i had this question... is it normal that i can shut my nose close just with some muscles?

I always wondered why some people hold their nose shut with their fingers while jumping into a pool or when exposed to some horrible smell... i never had this need. Changing my sons diapers? No problem! Cleaning the latrines while in the army? Just a breeze!

Ehm... yeah... just thought about this...

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[–] 7 points 1 year ago (12 children)

I can’t do that. I never felt the need to hold my nose in any of the scenarios you described. I am pretty sure when it comes to your nasal cavities there are no muscles involved.

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  • [–] 4 points 1 year ago (11 children)

    Try blowing out a candle. Feel how your nose feels while doing that. Try to replicate the same movement in your nose without blowing.

    There's a ton of face muscles that you can learn to control with a bit of practice:

    • Wiggling your ears
    • Moving your eyes inwards
    • Clicking your ear channels (like the click you hear when swallowing)
    • Creating a humming noise in your ears by flexing a muscle inside your ear channels
    • Plugging your nose from the inside
    • Rolling your tounge
    • Individual motion of your brows
    • "Vibrating" your eyes super fast left and right

    Probably a few more that I didn't think of right now.

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  • [–] 3 points 1 year ago (5 children)

    Blowing out candles is controlling your nasopharynx which every does so food and liquids don't go up their nose while swallowing. Most everyone can breathe through their mouth instead of their nose.

    The OP seems to be describing his nasal passage, not his throat. That seems unusual but I've never asked people to know.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago* (4 children)

    At least not in my case. If I blow out a candle, my nose passage closes.

    Maybe try the following:

    • Start with the motion of blowing out a candle.
    • While doing so, close your mouth, so that no air escapes through your mouth or nose, still holding the pressure of blowing.
    • Release your nose and feel the air popping out right at your nose.

    It's not the bottom end of the nose, but the top end of it. It's certainly not the laryinx, at least not for me.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago* (2 children)

    I just tried that and I can definitely say the closure happens at the pharynx for me, which is also what I do consciously when I hold my breath.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    Strange. Ok, can you make a snorting sound at the front of your nose? If you can, try to make a knocking sound with your nose. For that, build up pressure inside your nose using your tongue and release the sound by opening your nose.

    It's similar to what you do when you have to sneeze and try to suppress it.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago (2 children)

    Moving your eyes inwards

    Details, please. 🤨

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  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    Basically what happens when you look at your nose. But it's also possible to e.g. only move one inwards while keeping the other straight. It's not difficult, but there are people who can't do it.

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