Abstract
The effects of posture on the nasal cycle were studied in 26 normal subjects whose spontaneous nasal cycle had been confirmed before the experiment. Nasal resistance was measured by anterior rhinomanometry with nozzles. With 14 subjects, the changes in nasal resistance were observed consecutively on changing from sitting to supine and from supine to sitting. Six reversals of the cyclic phase occurred in 56 postural changes (reversal rare: 10.7%). The reversal occurred once per 2.9 hours. By contrast, with 12 subjects, 27 reversals were induced in 60 postural changes (reversal rate: 45%), on changing from one lateral recumbent position to the other. The reversal occurred once per 27 minutes. Lateral recumbency tends to switch the phase of the cycle and affects its duration.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.