You are correct that the nasal cycle causes one side of the nose to be more congested and one side more open at any given time. The congested side and open side alternate approximately every four hours or so. Most people who have open nasal passages never notice the nasal cycle, however, because the breathing passages on each side are wide enough to tolerate the little bit of swelling that happens during the nasal cycle. When people start to be bothered by the normal nasal cycle, it is usually because their nasal passages are narrow at baseline, and when the small amount of swelling occurs during the nasal cycle, their nasal passage closes entirely on the more congested side. This narrowing may be due to inferior turbinate hypertrophy, nasal septal deviation, nasal polyps, or other causes. I recommend an in-person consultation with a board certified ENT who can do a proper intranasal exam and let you know what's going on. Good luck!
