\n<\/p>\n
If you frequently experience nosebleeds, you might come to regard them as nothing more than a messy inconvenience.<\/p>\n
Yet, even though most nosebleeds are mild and benign, they shouldn\u2019t happen \u201cif everything inside the nose is healthy\u201d, says Dr Patricia Loftus, an otolaryngologist at the University of California, San Francisco.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s what experts say about nosebleeds.<\/p>\n
A nosebleed, known medically as epistaxis, comes in two forms: anterior and posterior.<\/p>\n
About 90% of nosebleeds are anterior, and start in the area between your two nostrils, called Kiesselbach\u2019s plexus, says Loftus. This area contains a lot of blood vessels \u2013 little capillaries that keep the nostrils well supplied with blood, to warm the air you inhale. These can break open, creating a bleed that mostly pours from the nostril, though some blood may trickle into the mouth or throat, especially if you lean your head back.<\/p>\n
Posterior nosebleeds are rarer and bigger. These are triggered when larger blood vessels deeper in the nasal passage burst. If there is significantly more blood flowing down the back of your throat, potentially causing you to choke, that\u2019s a posterior nosebleed, explains Dr Amin Javer, an ENT surgeon and research director at the University of British Columbia.<\/p>\n
Posterior nosebleeds are more serious than anterior ones, and require prompt medical attention. They\u2019re most often seen in older adults, especially those taking anticoagulants, which increase the risk of hemorrhage.<\/p>\n
When a nosebleed starts, many people instinctively tip their head back.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the worst thing you could do,\u201d says Javer. \u201cYou\u2019re going to just start drinking the blood.\u201d Blood in the stomach causes nausea, so it\u2019s best to avoid this.<\/p>\n
Instead, you should put your head forward and very gently pinch your nose, he says. A cold compress on the neck or nose can help constrict blood vessels and slow the bleed, as can a spritz of a nasal decongestant like oxymetazoline.<\/p>\n
If you see thick clots come out of your nose, it can be unsettling. But it\u2019s not necessarily a bad sign, nor is it uncommon. \u201cIt\u2019s actually just showing that your blood is clotting effectively,\u201d says Dr Peter Manes, an ENT surgeon and residency director at Yale School of Medicine.<\/p>\n
If your nosebleeds are occurring multiple times a week, interfering with your daily life, and\/or lasting longer than 30 minutes, they warrant seeing a doctor for a clinical evaluation.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the most common reasons for [anterior] nosebleeds is when the area dries out,\u201d explains Loftus.<\/p>\n
Dry air is especially to blame in winter. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter how much rain there is outside \u2013 our heaters turn on, the humidity in our bedrooms goes down,\u201d says Javer. He recommends cracking a window while you sleep or getting a humidifier to keep humidity levels between 40% and 50%. You can also moisturize your nasal lining with saline spray or a very thin layer of Vaseline just inside the nostrils.<\/p>\n
Another common reason for nosebleeds is \u201cdigital manipulation, which is a nice way of saying nose picking or scratching your nose\u201d, says Loftus. The nose is delicate, and even a light bump or scratch can pop a capillary and cause bleeding.<\/p>\n
Ginseng, garlic, ginkgo \u2013 some of those herbal medications can thin your bloodDr Peter Manes<\/p>\n
Inflammation from allergies or viral infections can make the lining more fragile and prone to cracking. Physical exertion sometimes plays a role too. Exercises, especially those that combine effort with positions where your head dips below your heart, like downward dog pose, can increase pressure in the face and prompt a bleed.<\/p>\n
Medications and supplements add another layer of risk. Prescription blood thinners and aspirin make bleeding more likely, and some herbal supplements have similar effects. \u201cGinseng, garlic, ginkgo \u2013 some of those herbal medications can thin your blood,\u201d says Manes.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re having a nosebleed every day and you don\u2019t know what\u2019s causing it, you need evaluation,\u201d says Loftus. \u201cEven if it\u2019s not bothering you that much, that\u2019s alarming enough to come see a doctor.\u201d<\/p>\n
Manes agrees that nosebleeds can become \u201cnormalized\u201d, and easy to dismiss as minor, but they do occasionally signal more serious issues.<\/p>\n
Abundant nosebleeds can indicate that your blood is not clotting correctly, Loftus says. A doctor may ask about alcohol use or other factors to discern if a liver issue is involved.<\/p>\n
Hormonal changes in pregnancy can play a role. Loftus says pregnancy-induced surges in hormones like estrogen and progesterone are linked to a higher likelihood of lobular capillary hemangioma, a \u201cusually pretty small lesion in the nose\u201d that can cause nosebleeds. These growths are not inherently dangerous, but should be evaluated by a doctor.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re in your 20s and suddenly having frequent, heavy nosebleeds, you could be among the roughly one in 5,000 people with \u201chereditary hemorrhagic telangectasia\u201d (HHT), a genetic vascular abnormality that often presents in young adulthood and requires treatment. Without medical attention, patients with HHT may \u201csuccumb to death from nosebleed,\u201d says Javer.<\/p>\n
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Frequent unilateral nosebleeds \u2013 bleeding from only one nostril \u2013 are a significant red flag for doctors. That pattern can signal a tumor or polyp, especially if accompanied by symptoms on the same side of the face, like not being able to breathe through the nose; facial pain or pressure; or unilateral ear pain, numbness or vision changes, says Loftus. \u201cThat should get checked out,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Many nosebleeds can be taken care of at home. But if you have persistent, frequent or high-volume nosebleeds that disrupt your daily life, or if you think you\u2019re having a posterior bleed, seek medical attention.<\/p>\n
If you arrive in the emergency room or a doctor\u2019s office with an active nosebleed, there are a few things you can expect.<\/p>\n
First is \u201ca thorough examination of your nasal cavity, trying to identify a source of the bleed,\u201d says Manes. Most bleeds can be controlled with packing \u2013 the insertion of a nasal tampon (which is different to the menstrual product).<\/p>\n
A doctor may cauterize the area that is bleeding, says Manes. The procedure stings, but a numbing cream can ease the pain.<\/p>\n
You may have your vitals checked and blood drawn to look for issues such as anemia or clotting abnormalities. If symptoms suggest a mass in the sinuses, a CT scan or MRI may be recommended. And if you\u2019ve lost a significant amount of blood, you could require a transfusion.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
If you frequently experience nosebleeds, you might come to regard them as nothing more than a messy inconvenience. Yet, even though most nosebleeds are mild and benign, they shouldn\u2019t happen \u201cif everything inside the nose is healthy\u201d, says Dr Patricia Loftus, an otolaryngologist at the University of California, San Francisco. Here\u2019s what experts say about<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":40532,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[21778,7379,21779],"class_list":{"0":"post-40531","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-frequent","9":"tag-normal","10":"tag-nosebleeds"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40531","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=40531"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40531\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/40532"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=40531"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=40531"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=40531"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}