What to do during nosebleed

How To Stop & Prevent Nosebleeds

Written by WebMD Editorial Contributors

Medically Reviewed by Poonam Sachdev on October 19, 2021

In this Article

• Why Is My Nose Bleeding?
• How Do I Stop My Nosebleed?
• How to Prevent Nosebleeds

Why Is My Nose Bleeding?

Several things can trigger a nosebleed. The most common cause is dry air, either from having the heat on in winter or being in a hot, low-humidity climate. Other causes include:

• Picking your nose
• Blowing your nose too hard often
• Injuries caused by a fall or getting hit in your nose
• Side effects of medication, like blood thinners
• Allergies
• High altitudes, where the air is thin

How Do I Stop My Nosebleed?

Nosebleeds usually aren’t serious. You can treat most by yourself at home by doing the following:

• Stay calm. If you start to get nervous, it can actually make you bleed more. Try to relax.
• Sit up, don’t lie down. Keep your head above your heart.
• Lean a little bit forward. This keeps the blood from draining down the back of your throat.
• Pinch your nostrils closed. Use your thumb and index finger to hold your nostrils closed for 5 to 10 minutes while you breathe through your mouth. This puts pressure on the part of your nose that’s bleeding and can make the blood stop flowing.

Once the bleeding has stopped, do not touch or blow your nose. This may start it bleeding again. But if it does restart, gently blow your nose to get rid of any blood clots. You can also spray a decongestant such as oxymetazoline (Afrin, Mucinex, or Vicks Sinex) in both nostrils. Then pinch your nostrils shut and breathe through your mouth for 5 to 10 minutes.

Call your doctor if:

• You fell or hit your nose on something
• You get nosebleeds often
• Your nosebleed lasts longer than 20 minutes even after you put pressure on it
• There’s so much bleeding that it’s hard to breathe.
• You’re taking blood thinners, such as warfarin (Coumadin), dabigatran (Pradaxa), rivaroxaban (Xarelto), fondaparinux sodium (Arixtra), or aspirin, or you have a bleeding disorder.

If your doctor can’t get your nosebleed to stop with pressure, they might try:

Cauterization.This procedure burns a blood vessel closed. After your doctor numbs your nose, they’ll use either a heated electronic device (an electrocautery) or a chemical called silver nitrate to close the leaky blood vessel.

Packing.Your doctor puts a latex balloon or gauze into your nostril. This puts a lot of pressure on a blood vessel until it closes.

How to Prevent Nosebleeds

You can’t always prevent nosebleeds from happening, but there are certain things you can do to help lower your chances of getting them:

• Keep the inside of your nose moist. Dryness can cause nosebleeds. Use a cotton swab to gently smear a thin layer petroleum jelly in your nostrils three times a day, including before you go to sleep. You can also use an antibiotic ointment like Bacitracin or Polysporin.
• Use a saline nasal product. Spraying it in your nostrils helps keep the inside of your nose moist.
• Use a humidifier. Your nostrils might be dry because the air in your house is dry.
• Don’t smoke.Smoking can irritate the inside of your nose and dry it out.
• Don’t pick your nose. Also, don’t blow or rub it too hard. If your child is getting nosebleeds, keep their fingernails short and discourage them from picking their nose.
• Don’t use cold and allergy medications too often. These can dry out your nose. In some cases, certain medications can cause nosebleeds or make them worse. You may need to discuss your medications with your doctor. But keep taking them unless your doctor tells you to stop.

10 Tips for Stopping a Bloody Nose

Icky and sometimes scary, a bloody nose in most circumstances is nothing to fear. Here’s what to do if you have one.

September 21, 2016 7:00 AM

Author | Melissa Pynnonen, M.D.

Let's face it: There is never a convenient time to get a bloody nose.

SEE ALSO: Tips for Treating Kids After Common Injuries

They're messy, make us stop what we're doing and, frankly, can be a little scary. The fact that a bloody nose can happen to anyone at any time, especially during the cold, dry months of winter, does not make them any less shocking.

But know this: Nosebleeds are common. The good news is that nosebleeds are harmless for most people — and the tools you need to handle them are likely already in your home.

Typical causes of nosebleeds include dry climate, heated indoor air during winter months, steroid nasal sprays or direct injury to the nose. People who take blood-thinning medications (anticoagulants) also are more likely to get a bloody nose.

No matter when or how your nose starts bleeding, these simple strategies can help:

1. Keep calm. Bloody noses can be scary, but they are rarely dangerous.

2. Lean forward. If there is blood in your mouth, spit it out; do not swallow it.

3. Stay upright. Do not tilt your head back or lie flat. This may cause you to choke on blood. Blood in the stomach can make you sick to your stomach and cause vomiting.

4. Try a spray. Apply three sprays of decongestant nose spray, such as Afrin, into the side that is bleeding.

5. Skip foreign objects. Do not pack the nose with tissues or other household items like tampons. This can make the bleeding worse.

6. Use a pinch. Pinch the soft part of your nose shut for 10 minutes. Use a clock to keep track of time. Resist the urge to peek after a few minutes to see if your nose has stopped bleeding.

7. Observe and react. After 10 minutes, let go of your nose. If it is still bleeding, soak a cotton ball with the nose spray. Place the cotton ball into the bleeding nostril and pinch for 10 minutes. Again, use a clock to time it.

8. Check your blood pressure. High blood pressure can cause nosebleeds.

9. Take it easy. Once bleeding has stopped, do not blow your nose for two days.

10. Avoid exertion. It can take up to two full weeks to heal after a nosebleed. Do not lift anything heavy, such as groceries, or perform physical activities or household chores. Do not pick up young children and babies

Seek immediate medical help if you have:

• Bleeding that does not stop in 30 minutes

• Bleeding that is very heavy, pouring down the back of your throat and out the front of your nose

• Bleeding accompanied by other symptoms, such as very high blood pressure, light-headedness, chest pain and/or rapid heart rate

• Bleeding that occurs three to four times weekly or greater than six times per month

Preventing future bloody noses

Try these steps:

Learn more and view a video on stopping a nosebleed here.

Health Lab

This article is from the Health Lab digital publication.

Department of Communication at Michigan Medicine

[email protected]

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Why does the nose bleed? — GAUZ OZP City Clinical Hospital No. 8

• Post author: Press Secretary
• The entry was published: 07/24/2019
• Post category: Prevention