Four Churn Dash Blocks

 

Do you know how many noses you have? Unless you’re an extremely unusual person, you’ll probably say you have one. But because human nostrils are separated by a septum (from a Latin word meaning fence, enclosure or wall, essentially “that which separates”) we each effectively have two noses. This separation is what makes it possible for our nostrils to perform independently. Nostrils have two basic functions: taking air in and expelling it. At any given time, one is doing mostly the former, while the other is doing mostly the latter. Every few hours, the right and left sides switch roles. Why would this be a good thing? The nostril with the higher intake flow is filling your lungs and keeping you alive. The one with the lower intake flow may be recovering, rehydrating and making it easier to detect subtle smells. Best of all, having independent nostrils can mean you might still sleep peacefully while one nostril is congested.