Did you know this about your nose?

It’s the most prominent part of the human face.

You breathe from it, smell from it, sneeze from it, and even leak from it.

Of course, I’m talking about your nose.

Despite all you do with it, let’s be honest. Unless it’s stuffy or runny, you probably don’t pay much attention to it.

But you should.

This facial feature performs some vital functions that can really impact your health.

For example, did you know your nose serves as an air humidifier? 

You see, your lungs and throat don’t like dry air. It irritates them. 

To ensure the air you breathe in is moist once it reaches your lungs, tiny structures in your nose called turbinates humidify air.

Your nose is also an air heater.

Not only do your lungs not like dry air, they also don’t like cold air.

Most of us spend more time in climates where the temperature is much cooler than our internal temp of 98.6.

But if your nose sent air that was 50 degrees, or even 70 degrees, down to your lungs, the lungs wouldn’t be happy.

To make the air more comfortable, your nose gets to work warming it to a toasty temperature more agreeable to your lungs.

You probably know toxins and a host of other junk try to get into your body through your nose all day.

Good thing your nose is an excellent air purifier thanks to cilia.

These tiny cellular strands found in your nasal cavity act like tiny sweepers that constantly clean and push out the gunk before it can do harm. 

Have you ever smelled something that immediately brought back a memory from years ago?

This happens because your nose is connected to your brain.

You see, smell is the only one of the five senses with direct pathways to the brain’s hippocampus (the part of the brain involved in memory formation) and the amygdala (the part that processes emotion and memory).

Finally, with about 12 million olfactory receptor cells, your nose can detect over 10,000 scents.

Sounds like a lot, but that’s nothing compared to bloodhounds with 4 billion olfactory receptors.

I know many people don’t like their nose.

So much so, rhinoplasty is the third most common cosmetic surgical procedure in the U.S.

Unless there’s a medical need, I’m more in the “love what God gave you” camp.

After all, whether it’s big or small, your nose works 24/7 to keep you comfortable, safe, and can conjure up some pretty wonderful memories, too.

Show it some love.