Snots

Have you ever had a runny nose? I’m sure you have. All children in the world have had to blow their noses sometime.

Snot is not pleasant, specially if it runs down your face. But it is also very useful. It helps us to not get sick.

Hello, this is snot!

Look at your class friends, I’m sure some of them have runny noses.  

Snot is a thick, gooey, sticky substance that usually comes out of our noses. It is a barrier for our body. It stops elements that could make us sick – for example dust – from entering through the holes in our nose. 

Snot poses no risk to your health, but it may be annoying. A lot of it may even disturb your sleep, cause earache, bellyache, headache, etc.

Why do we have snot?

Snot is an alarm of our body to warn us that we have an infection. You don’t have to be sick to be snotty, but it often happens when you have a cold, or flu, or an allergy, or a sore throat.    In the coldest months of the year, children may have runny noses for 60 days non-stop.

Stop runny noses! 

Snot is not an illness, but sometimes it can be very annoying. To avoid it bothering us, we can take the following steps:

- Clean your nose properly. Blow your nose with the mouth closed – “blowing” through the nose. 
- Drink water, juices, soup…
- Remain in a humid atmosphere.
- In summer by the sea, put your head under the water. Sea water is very good to clear the passages.

Snot is no excuse to stay at home. Without a temperature you can carry on as usual – go to school, do sports, do your homework… 

Use your handkerchief. Your hand or your coat sleeves may be dirty, and they may make you sick. Also, they will make you sticky. And, specially, don’t eat the snot – have you ever been in a restaurant where they serve snot? 

Snot must not be eaten!

The colours of snot 

Snot can be of different colours. And it doesn’t mean that each one of us has a different colour snot, but that as days go by what comes out of our noses is of a variety of colours.

When we have a cold, we have a lot of snot of a clear colour. This snot helps eliminate the virus. As days go by, and our body is defeating the infection, the snot becomes white or yellow. When our body seems to return bit by bit to normal, the snot becomes more greenish. 

And, remember, whatever the colour of your snot, it is important to use always disposable paper handkerchiefs to avoid infecting yourselves again – and the snot would never end.