A lot of people don't talk about these things.

You have mucus in your nose. When it's been an abnormal shade for a long time, it can tell you a lot about what's happening in your body.

Snot color is not enough to diagnose something.

It gives a glimpse into your body's weird ways of telling you something.

Snot colour table. See original Business Insider article for an accessible text version

Clear snot means all is well

The mucus is clear. mucus is produced by the body

Snot is made from salts and water. It acts as a barrier against dehydration and foreign objects in your nose, keeping it germ free.

mucus can become stuck on anything you breathe in. The mucus in the throat is pushed down to the stomach by little hairs in the nose.

It can also be found in other places. Every moist surface of your body, including the nose, is covered by this gel.

Clear mucus in the nose is nothing to be concerned about. It could mean that you are suffering from allergies or the start of a cold or flu.

White snot means an infection could be going on

It's possible that white mucus means a lot of different things.

It means that your nose is swollen and causes it to dry out.

It could be due to a variety of illnesses.

The mucus that clouds the nose is released by immune cells when they fight off something that irritates the nose.

At this point, your nose could become very watery. It's when you would be most likely to spread a disease.

Research shows that milk does not make cloudier.

Yellow snot means you are probably fighting an infection

Your immune system's white blood cells rush to the site when you have an infectious disease, whether it's a bug or a virus.

When white cells are flushed out of your body, they can make your mucus yellow.

The body is very good at fighting infections and doesn't need antibiotics if you have yellow mucus.

The antibiotics would be useless if the infections were caused by aviruses.

You may want to wait and see if the situation improves over the next week or so.

Green snot also means you are likely fighting off an infection

There is a build-up of dead white blood cells in your mucus.

If you've had green mucus for a few weeks or more, you should see your doctor.

Pink or red snot means there's blood in your nose

There is blood in your nose.

This comes from a lot of things, including allergies, infections, and blowing. Walking into a wall face first can cause physical trauma.

It could be that the air is very dry.

Brown snot could be dried blood. Or maybe you snorted some dirt.

Blood from your nose can mix with mucus and turn brown.

Sometimes brown mucus is not caused by blood. It could be caused by a variety of things.

You should see a doctor if you are coughing up brown mucus.

Black mucus is usually due to smoking

Heavy smokers are more likely to have black mucus in their lungs.

Smoking cigarettes or marijuana can cause it.

If you have a compromised immune system, it can be a sign of a serious disease.

You should see a doctor if your mucus is black. If you have a cold or a high temperature, this is true.

The original article was published by Business Insider.

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