How to Stop Nosebleed?

Nosebleed is medically called epistaxis. It causes a concern for some people for different reasons. Some are scared of the amount of blood that comes out of the Nose while others are afraid of the meaning of nosebleed, or the symptoms associated with Epistaxis (Nosebleed). There are many ways to stop nosebleed which will be explained below. We will also mention causes and types of nosebleed.

2 types of Epistaxis:

Nose bleed is divided into 2 types based on the site of the bleeding. There is Anterior Nasal bleeding where the site of bleeding is on the front part of the nose,towards the openings but still inside the nostrils. It a less serious form of the two types because the bleeding is usually mild and self limiting. It is also easy to treat Anterior nosebleed.

The second type is Posterior Nasal Bleeding: Here the bleeding is deeper into the nose towards the Nasopharynx. It is more serious than the anterior Nasal Bleed and usually requires Emergency management and Admission to hospital to find and treat a possible cause. This is because there are bigger blood vessels in the deeper part of the nose.

Causes of Epistaxis

The most common causes of nosebleed are Trauma (injury) and irritation.

The nose can be injured by anything that is too rough for the inner mucosa that lines the nose. Here’s the list of the most common causes:

1. Nose Picking
2. A Punch to the face or nose
3. Dry air: which irritates the lining of the nose
4. Sinusitis and fever.
5. Very dry nose

It is important to note that High Blood pressure does not cause nose bleed but it causes recurrent bleeding once it starts. Other less common but serious causes of nose bleed include; Hemophilia, Arteriosclerosis, Certain Medications like Warfarin, Aspirin and other blood thinners.

Nosebleed Treatment

The step-by-step process to stop nosebleed is as follow:

1. Lean forward or sit straight, do not lie down or look up as that will cause blood to flow into the throat.
2. Pinch the nose as illustrated below for 10 minutes
3. Put ice packs on the forehead and back of the neck to cool the head and constrict the blood vessels which supply the nose and thus reducing the bleeding.
4. When the bleeding stops, do not blow the nose as that will cause the bleeding to start again.
5. Do not remove any blood clots in the nose as that help in stopping the bleeding.
6. If the bleeding does not stop, then repeat the process and go to the hospital or clinic as soon as possible to exclude or treat any Posterior nasal bleed.

After 2-4 hours then you can blow your nose or wash and remove the clots to maintain good hygiene.

Red Flags of Nosebleed

These are the signs that indicate a need to visit a Doctor as soon as possible:

1. Very large amount of blood coming out fast, It may be a bleeding disorder or posterior bleed.
2. Bruises on other parts of the body, it may be a bleeding disorder.
3. Any nosebleed while you are on blood thinners and soon after starting any new medication
4. Nosebleed associated with dizziness and visual problems and headache.

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