What different colour of your snot indicates about the state of your health
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If you've ever stared down at your tissue after blowing a corker and wondered what it all means, this one's for you.
Let's not lie here, similarly to when you occasionally glance back into the bowl to see what your number two trip to the loo resulted in, sometimes you can't help but take a quick peak into your dirty tissue to see what lies inside.
Some call it gross, others call it taking better care of yourself - health is wealth and all that.
And indeed, the colour of your runny nose, flicked or picked bogeys or trumpet can certainly tell you a lot about your wellbeing.
You may not think your snot can take on many colours, but according to Heathline, there's a whole rainbow. So buckle up and prepare to have a rustle up your nose to check how healthy you are right now.
Clear
First, we have clear snot, which sounds like the most desirable snot to have which is a sign of god-like health, right? Wrong.
Well, sort of. As per Healthline, having clear snot is considered 'healthy' or normal, however, if you're producing too much of the clear substance and it's running freely from your nose, this could be a sign of hayfever a.k.a. 'Allergic rhinitis'.
Healthline explains symptoms include postnasal drip, itchy, watery eyes, sneezing, coughing, itchy nose, throat, or roof of mouth, discolored skin under the eyes and fatigue.
You don't always have to be allergic to something - whether it be the coming of summer or your neighbour's cat - to be blessed with a runny nose either.
It's also possible to experience the symptom during pregnancy, it being caused by hormonal changes.
White
White snot is a sign you may be slightly under the weather, but not to worry, it's typically a sign of the common cold - and after years of Covid, that's no match for us anymore.
Accompanied by feeling a bit bunged up and congested, symptoms include a 'sore throat, congestion, cough, sneezing, low-grade fever, or a fever above 98.6°F (37°C) but lower than 100.4°F (38°C), mild body aches and a mild headache'.
Alas, if you're experiencing more of the latter, it could be the sign of an infection or virus - just because you're triple jabbed, doesn't mean you still can't catch it remember.
Yellow
When you think of the colour yellow, you probably think of the sun's rays, a banana, the colour of piss and likely snot too.
While yellow snot is a sign of your body not being in tip-top shape, fear not, because the colour means your body is fighting back against whatever infection has invaded.
You may feel rough for between 10-14 days but yellow snot could be sign of there being light at the end of the tunnel.
Healthline explains: "The yellow colour comes from the cells - white blood cells, for example - rushing to kill the offending germs.
"Once the cells have done their work, they’re discarded in your snot and give it a dark yellowish tinge."
Green
We're getting slightly more gross on the gross-scale here, but I'm going to put my hands up and admit I've definitely seen a green hue to my nasal excrements before, but was probably proud that it matched with the characters in Fungus the Bogeyman.
Green and thicker snot indicates your body is working extra hard to fight an infection and Healthline advises you may need to book an appointment with your GP if you've had your cold or infection for 12 days or over.
Pink or red
Red liquid coming out of your nose - more commonly known as blood - could either be the sign of a nosebleed if you've been hit on the nose or been getting a bit carried away blowing it.
Heathline gives the solid advice of simply blowing your nose 'more gently', stopping picking it - yes, even if you're 30, doesn't mean we don't know you still do it - or applying Vaseline to moisturise and soothe the area.
However, if the blood is excessive (over a tablespoon) and doesn't stop, it could be time to see a doctor.
Brown or orange
The penultimate colour in the colour wheel of snot is brown/orange.
Brown/orange snot indicates you've either inhaled some dust or similar coloured substance, or you've just got a bit of dried blood in your nose.
Either way, it doesn't seem like much to fret about.
Black
Now, you probably don't even need to read this to know if your snot is black, that's definitely not normal.
Healthline explains it could simply be a result of air-pollution, doing drugs or living in a house with someone who smokes - turning your snot grey/black.
Or it may be a sign of a 'serious fungal infection' including mycetoma fungal sinusitis, allergic fungal sinusitis, chronic indolent sinusitis, and fulminant sinusitis.
I would put the descriptions of the infections here, but they're all pretty grim and as Healthline says, 'it’s a good idea to check in with your doctor for a more formal diagnosis' anyway.
