Just for perspective: I am a man in my mid-40s and for as long as i can remember i had this question… is it normal that i can shut my nose close just with some muscles?
I always wondered why some people hold their nose shut with their fingers while jumping into a pool or when exposed to some horrible smell… i never had this need. Changing my sons diapers? No problem! Cleaning the latrines while in the army? Just a breeze!
Ehm… yeah… just thought about this…


At least not in my case. If I blow out a candle, my nose passage closes.
Maybe try the following:
It’s not the bottom end of the nose, but the top end of it. It’s certainly not the laryinx, at least not for me.
I just tried that and I can definitely say the closure happens at the pharynx for me, which is also what I do consciously when I hold my breath.