Anything that irritates the inside of the nose can cause a runny nose. Infections — such as colds, flu or sinusitis — and allergies often cause runny and stuffy noses. Some people have noses that run all the time without a known reason. This is called nonallergic rhinitis or vasomotor rhinitis.

A polyp, an object such as a small toy stuck in the nose, or a tumor might cause the nose to run from only one side. Sometimes migraine-like headaches can cause a runny nose.

Causes of a runny nose include:

  1. Acute sinusitis
  2. Allergies
  3. Chronic sinusitis
  4. Churg-Strauss syndrome
  5. Common cold
  6. Decongestant nasal spray overuse
  7. Deviated septum
  8. Dry or cold air
  9. Granulomatosis with polyangiitis
  10. Hormonal changes
  11. Influenza (flu)
  12. Object in the nose
  13. Medicines, such as those used to treat high blood pressure, erectile dysfunction, depression, seizures and other conditions
  14. Nasal polyps
  15. Nonallergic rhinitis
  16. Pregnancy
  17. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)
  18. Tobacco smoke

Causes shown here are commonly associated with this symptom. Work with your doctor or other health care professional for an accurate diagnosis.

From Mayo Clinic to your inbox

Sign up for free and stay up to date on research advancements, health tips, current health topics, and expertise on managing health. Click here for an email preview.

To provide you with the most relevant and helpful information, and understand which information is beneficial, we may combine your email and website usage information with other information we have about you. If you are a Mayo Clinic patient, this could include protected health information. If we combine this information with your protected health information, we will treat all of that information as protected health information and will only use or disclose that information as set forth in our notice of privacy practices. You may opt-out of email communications at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the e-mail.

April 07, 2023