In Japanese animation, when a guy sees a cute girl pass by, a fountain of blood spurt out of his nose, the reasoning being that his blood pressure increased upon the sight. In Western action movies or comic books, when the hero gets clobbered by the villain, his suffering and pain is usually indicated by a bloody nose. In both cases, the nosebleed condition is used to convey something, either for dramatic or comedic purposes.

In real life, there is nothing funny about nosebleeds. It’s not unheard of for people to suddenly become soaked in blood in the middle of a dinner party, with people looking on in utter horror. While not really life-threatening, nosebleeds can be quite alarming and messy, especially if you’re not used to having one.

The Nose Knows

The nose has many blood vessels, so when something affects it, it usually coughs up a lot of blood. Since it is situated in a particularly prominent part of your face, any trauma on your face will almost always result in nasal bleeding. Among young people, nosebleeds start from the septum, located just inside the nose. The septum separates your nasal chambers. In adults, the bleeding starts in the septum, although less commonly, it may also begin deeper in the interior of the nose. These kinds of nosebleeds are usually harder to stop and will often require a specialist’s help.

Nosebleeds can spontaneously occur when the nasal chambers crack, which usually happens in dry climates; this is the reason why many people who commonly suffer spontaneous nosebleeds are those who live in the tropics. People can also be susceptible to nosebleeds if they are taking anti-blood clotting medications such as warfarin or aspirin.

There is an increased chance of a nosebleed if you have upper respiratory tract infection problems, especially when the temperature and humidity fluctuate dramatically. Also, if you abruptly change from one temperature to another (for example, going directly into a warm, heated home from a raging blizzard outside), your nasal chambers will dry faster, making them more susceptible to bleeding. Other common causes for bleeding also include:

• infections
• hypertension
• alcohol abuse
• rhinitis, both allergic and non-allergic
• nose picking

How To Stop Nosebleeds

Common nosebleeds are not serious and you generally don’t need a doctor or a specialist in order to stop them. If you follow the recommendations given below, your nose should stop bleeding before long:

• Pinch your nose. Using your thumb and index finger, pinch all the soft parts of your nose and press firmly towards the face. Compress the pinched part of the nose to the bones of the face.
• Lean forward with your head tilted up. Remain in an upright position. The upright position will cause the blood pressure on your nose to be reduced, thereby reducing the bleeding. Make sure that your head is always at a higher level than your heart. At the same time, leaning forward will help you avoid swallowing the blood, which may cause irritation to your stomach.
• Hold the above position for at least five minutes. If bleeding still hasn’t stopped, repeat as often as necessary.



• Avoid picking or blowing your nose. During the time while you’re trying to stop the flow of blood, don’t pick your nose, or attempt to blow the blood out. It might only exacerbate the condition. If there is re-bleeding after a few minutes, then try to blow out forcefully in order to clear whatever clot may have occurred in your nose. Spray your nose with a decongestant that contains oxymetazoline.
• Apply a cold compress. Place ice packs on the nose and cheeks in order to constrict the blood vessels in that area.

The above procedures should be enough to stop a common nosebleed. However, you should immediately seek out a physician if the bleeding lasts for more than 20 minutes. Also, if the bleeding occurred as a result of a blow or trauma to the face and nose, then waste no time and have it checked by a doctor right away. There might be other more serious complications aside from the nosebleed.

Aside from these steps, here are several tips that will hopefully prevent your nose from bleeding again:

• Get plenty of rest. When you do, make sure that your head is elevated at an angle of 30 to 45 degrees.
• Do not put anything on your nose. Avoid sneezing too hard. If you have to, then open your mouth so the air will escape out of it and through the nose. (Make sure to cover your nose and mouth, too!)
• Do not strain too much or lift anything that is too heavy. Also, try not to strain too much during bowel movement. Use stool softeners if you have to.
• Do not smoke. Smoking exacerbates nosebleeds.
• Avoid taking too many medications that thin the blood.

The important thing is to make sure that your nose doesn’t dry out. Be in a place with normal temperatures, avoid straining too much, and you should be fine. Nosebleeds aren’t a major problem so just take it easy.