2010-01-31 - Nose bleeds

Tis the season for nosebleeds. Dry air outside, dry air inside, fighting people. Growing up I witnessed a lot of different methods and techniques on how to stop a nosebleed but never knew what was actually correct. I decided to ask the expert on the matter- the internet.

For starters, lean forward. You want the blood to drain out of your nose, not down your throat. Blood going down your throat will increase your chances of coughing, choking or gagging. Swallowing blood can make you nauseous. The combination of coughing and nausea could produce some obviously bad results. (Did you know you can swallow a pint of blood before you get sick?)

Your nose bleeds when the arteries in your sinus cavity rupture. This can happen if your sinuses get too dry or from extreme stress being put on the arteries. That and general trauma to the area.

Once you're leaning forward you need to apply pressure to stop the flow of blood. There are several places you can apply pressure- some will work better than others depending on what vessels are broken.

You can apply pressure between your upper lip and the gum. Press up towards your nose where there is a major artery. Some people roll up a piece of paper towel and put it up there almost like a mouth guard.

Another place is right below your nose, pressing up against the middle part of your nose. This is effectively pressing on the same artery as the above method, only from the outside.

You can also press right below the bridge of the nose, closer to your cheek bones than the tip of your nose.

With any of these locations, apply pressure for at least 5 minutes, while leaning your head forward. If that doesn't work, try for 10 minutes. If that doesn't work, you might need a doctor. In addition to those pressure points you can also apply pressure to the back of the neck. This is a major source of blood flow to the head so any restriction there will also restrict flow to the nose bleed. Don't choke yourself, slight pressure to the back of the neck is all you need. You can also use a cold compress in any of these locations. Cold causes blood vessels to constrict, therefore less blood flow.

Once the bleeding has stopped, let it heal. Don't blow your nose any time soon (12 hours or so) and don't pick at it. You can put a bit of vaseline to keep it from drying out again. Keep your head elevated above your heart when laying down to avoid any unnecessary pressure to the blood vessels.