Grab the Tissues: 3 Sneaky Reasons Your Nose Runs When You Cry

Ever notice that when your tears start flowing, no thanks to that sappy rom-com, your nose does, too? Turns out, crying doesn't just make your eyes water—it also sends your nasal passages into overdrive, meaning you might be a little more sniffly (and in need of tissues) when you shed tears. But why does your nose run when you cry?

Well, this has everything to do with the connection between your eyes and nose. Your tear ducts (i.e., the tiny tubes located on the inner corner of your eyes and in your nose) are connected to your nasal passages, meaning when you do cry, tears that don't spill onto your face slide back down into your nose instead. Kinda neat, right?

So, where does the runny, stuffy nose come into play? Learn more from an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialist here, along with how to relieve pesky congestion after a good cry sesh.

3 reasons your nose gets runny or stuffy when you cry

When those waterworks start, they might bring a few unexpected side effects for your nose. Here are the reasons your nose tends to get stuffy or runny after an emotional moment. Have the tissues at the ready.

1. Tears drain into your sinuses

When you cry, most of your tears run down your cheeks. But others “drain through a hole (called the punctum) on the lower eyelid and down the tear ducts (nasolacrimal duct), which drain in the nasal cavity,” says Philip Chen, MD, FARS, a professor of otolaryngology and rhinology at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.¹,²

In this cavity, your tears mix with some nasal mucus and empty out through the nose, Dr. Chen says. This explains why your nose turns on like a runny faucet when you cry. It's also why you might feel more congested after crying, too. Excess liquid (aka your tears) in the nasal cavity blocks the flow of air, making it harder to breathe, Dr. Chen adds.

2. Blood vessels in your nose swell up

When your nose gets stuffy, it's often because your nasal passages swell up, but this is usually from things like colds, allergies, and sinusitis (inflammation of the air-filled spaces in the skull around the nose). "Typically, there is no change in nasal swelling from crying alone," though, Dr. Chen says.

That said, sometimes, crying can cause the turbinates (blood vessel-filled structures in the nose that humidify and cleanse air before moving to the lungs) to swell up. When this happens, you might temporarily struggle to breathe through your nose.

3. You have an underlying condition

Certain underlying health conditions can make it harder to breathe through your nose in general, whether you've just had a good cry or not. These include conditions like:

• Deviated septum: When the wall of cartilage that divides your nostrils is off-center, causing one or both nostrils to become partially blocked.
• Nasal polyps: Noncancerous growths in your sinuses or nose lining that narrow or block your nasal passages, often from chronic inflammation or allergies.³
• Nasal valve collapse: When one of your nostrils bends inward and collapses when you breathe, obstructing proper airflow.
• Scar tissue (synechia): If you've had nasal surgery, used nasal sprays excessively, or blown your nose a lot, scar tissue can form. This can create bands of scar tissue that fuse parts of your nose, making it harder to breathe.⁴

If you have one of these health conditions, you might find yourself feeling especially stuffy after a tearful moment.

Can you prevent a runny nose when you cry?

Unfortunately, no. When you cry, some of your tears are bound to drain into your nasal cavity and mix with mucus, leading to a runny nose. While impossible to control (some people are just more sniffly than others!), this runny nose is "pretty short-lived since it's just liquid in the nose that causes symptoms," Dr. Chen says. This means once the tears have stopped, and you've blown your nose a good couple of times, it should stop dripping.

How to relieve nasal congestion after a good cry

Crying is a normal part of life, stuffy nose and all. While your nose will stop running fairly quickly, there are some things you can try to relieve the stuffiness and sinus pressure that inevitably comes after. Here's what Dr. Chen says to try:

• Saline irrigation (aka nasal rinse). This involves flushing out your sinuses using a saline solution (water and sodium chloride mix) with a neti pot or a rinse bottle. Just make sure to properly clean containers before and after use and only rinse with boiled or distilled water to avoid any risk of infection.
• Saline spray. Like nasal irrigation, saline spray can "help clear the nose of the extra mucus-tears mixture," so you can breathe better, Dr. Chen says. Try Arm & Hammer Simply Saline Nasal Mist ($8) or Walgreens Saline Nasal Moisturizing Spray ($4).
• A steamy shower: Inhaling hot steam from a shower can help relieve and open up stuffed sinus passages. Plus, it's just super soothing and regulating after crying.

The bottom line

Whether you're shedding a happy tear at a puppy commercial or going through a rough patch emotionally, crying can be a great therapeutic expression of how you feel. If you find your nose is extra runny and sniffly when you cry, know that it's totally normal and will clear up fairly quickly. Just note that if you have trouble breathing when not crying, or feel any consistent pain or pressure in your sinuses, you might need to see your healthcare provider to rule out any underlying health issues, like a deviated septum.