Your jugular vein is actually on both the left side and right side of your neck.
In your neck, there's an internal jugular vein and an external jugular vein on each side of the neck.
The jugular veins on both the left side and right side of the neck, drain blood from your brain, face, and neck down to your heart.
Your jugular veins are also paired structures, with the right internal jugular vein often being slightly larger than the left side jugular vein.
The jugular veins run vertically down the lateral sides of your neck, deep to or along the sternocleidomastoid muscle.
And the internal jugular vein, is located deeper in your neck, lateral and anterior to your carotid artery.
The external jugular vein is located more superficially, running across your sternocleidomastoid muscle.
And for medical procedures, the right internal jugular vein is also often most preferred, because the right internal jugular vein provides a straighter path to your heart.
Your jugular veins are paired vessels in your neck, which return blood from your brain, face and neck to your heart, most specifically through your superior vena cava.
There are also 3 main types of jugular veins, which include the internal jugular vein, external jugular vein and the anterior jugular vein, which run along both sides of your neck.
Your internal jugular vein is the largest jugular vein, that drains blood from your brain, and the external jugular vein drains the superficial face.
The internal jugular vein, begins at your skull base and then descends in your carotid sheath along the side of your neck to joint your subclavian vein.
The external jugular vein, runs superficially over your sternocleidomastoid muscle.
The jugular veins are crucial for draining deoxygenated blood and toxins away from the brain.
The jugular veins are also used for evaluating cardiac health, through jugular venous pressure and for placing of central IV lines.
Obstruction of your internal jugular vein can result in intracranial hypertension, which can result in symptoms like dizziness, vertigo, chronic heads, tinnitus or ringing in the ears, visual issues and cognitive fog.
Injury to your jugular vein is also life threatening as a result of high risks of severe bleeding or air embolism.