How big are is one's sinus cavity?

I ask, not to be gross but because I recently had my first cold in years. In the morning it seemed the supply of mucus was endless. I would be seemingly empty and 4 minutes later a sneeze and the endless supply would begin again.

• Sorry, OP..I have no answer, but you made me laugh. Good question.

• I think they are like any other body part, it varies with the individual as to size.

• In the midst of a recent cold, I discovered my sinus cavity is large enough to store two gallon of snot per blow.

• Save that snot! It seasons your next dish of polenta wonderfully.

• R4 gross, just gross.

• There are six sinuses. Two frontal sinuses, which are above your eyes, two maxillary sinuses which run from under your eyes to just above your teeth (those are the biggest), and two sphenoid sinuses, which sit behind your nose. Together, they can hold a fair volume.

  The Voice of the Night

• Thank you voice.

• It has to be said...nasal washing. Seriously though, it really helps. When I have a sinus infection or really bad cold, nasal washing is just about the only way I can breathe throughout the day without meds. I only nasal wash about once a week for maintenance but during a cold or infection, I'll do it 3 or 4 times a day. It's incredible how much mucous you can wash out.

• Bigger than a breadbox?

  Kitty%20Carlisle%20Hart

• Are you speaking of that dreadful hated neti pot? I use steam, despise the neti.

• If you use a neti pot, pasteurize the water first. Several people have died from pathogens that do no harm from drinking the water because of stomach acid, but can be fatal in the sinuses. I don't drink tap water without pasteurizing it either, for that matter.

• R10, I use a squeeze bottle but yes, same function as the neti pot. Washing is a much direct course of action to steam. The latter works but it's indirect and takes more time. I also can't do it if I'm in the office for 8-9 hours. I can though stash my bottle, some purified water and saline packets at my desk and do a couple of nasal washes throughout the day.

  R8

• R11, I remember hearing about those cases. How stupid are those people? Buy purified water or boil the tap water. Not a difficult concept.

• R11, how does one Pasteurize water?

• R14 you pour it into the toilet and leave it here for one hour. Then squeeze it into your head.

• I use a squeeze bottle as well (Neil-Med), and have been using it 3-4 times a day during this nasty cold...along with a LOT more Vitamin C than usual, and it seems to have helped. I'm not nearly as snotty as I usually am (I mean physically, as opposed to verbally).

• This happens randomly - not when I have a cold. One of my sinuses feels sore/raw for a day; always the right side. Next thing is the sinus starts to feel full; I can actually feel the mucus glob moving around - it kinda hurts. Sometimes I can blow my nose and it comes out; other times it just evaporates.

• SOS! Save Our Snot!

  Polenta%20Lovers%20Internatonale

• Advil, Motrin and such are good for colds because they shrink the inflamed sinuses and make it easier to blow out the goop.

• GROSS.

  The%20Gross%20Queen

• My allergist, who is kind of a McGyver, also suggests putting one drop of Johnson's Baby Shampoo into the squeeze bottle, along with the saline mixture...it really helps things slide out.

  R16

• I will just blow, thank you. No fucking neti pot and certainly none with shampoo.

• Your sinus is as big as your anus These means you have a big, gaping hole

  Dr. MD