Lying in bed, unable to sleep, my boyfriend told me I looked concerned. I wasn't upset at all; I was merely thinking about the cold I'd recently contracted. So I explained my thoughts:

When you have a stuffy nose, it's more than just a bunch of snot clogging the airway. Our nasal passages actually contain erectile tissue (yes, similar to that found in a penis). It makes sense - the secretion of mucous stimulates the tissues in your nose and they swell up. But it's so annoying to have a stuffed up nose. It makes your voice sound funny, it makes it hard to fall asleep, and it's a constant reminder that you're not well. So how to relieve it?
Well, considering that a primary factor is the tissue that's "erect" (my sister and I enjoy announcing that our noses have boners when we're sick), perhaps something that makes it difficult for a guy to get hard would also relieve a stuffy nose. I'm not talking psychologically of course - purely physical here. Thinking of your grandmother in her undies is not going to help your symptoms. But it's hard to get up when it's cold out, right? So cooling down your face ought to unclog your nose a bit. And if you think about it from other perspectives, it actually makes perfect sense without the connection to boners. Use ice to prevent swelling, right? Or even just notice that when it's cold out, your nose inevitably opens right up, sometimes so much that it stings.
Of course, it isn't really practical to walk around with an ice pack across the middle of your face all day (something tells me that that might be more of a nuisance than slightly impaired breathing is). But I have discovered that when your nose is so distracting that it's difficult to fall asleep, spending a little time with a cold compress or a baggy of ice on your face is surprisingly helpful, if mildly ridiculous. Personally, though, the relief is worth my boyfriend's ridicule at my problem-solving skills.

Log in or register to write something here or to contact authors.