Best Way to Stop a Nose Bleed

If you get bloody nose all of a sudden, then you are bound to get panicked assuming that there is some serious problem with your health. However, it may not be so all the time. The medical term for nosebleed is epistaxis. It is of two different types: anterior nosebleed and posterior nosebleed.

Anterior nosebleed is more common in children where the bleeding takes place from the small blood vessels located in the lower septum or the partition in between the nostrils.

On the other hand, posterior nosebleed is a more serious issue where bleeding results from rupture in larger arteries that are present at the back of the nose. Before we discuss the best way to stop a nosebleed, let us have a look at the bloody nose causes.

Nosebleeds in children is a common occurrence. In our childhood days, most of us have experienced it one or more times. It happens most commonly due to injury while playing. The blood vessels of lower septum are so delicate, that even a minor injury to the face may break them and cause bleeding.

Besides, scratching the inner wall with sharp nails during nose picking, blowing nose too hard can injure the blood vessels. Some people tend to get bloody nose in certain climatic conditions like high temperature, low humidity or cold temperature of high altitude.

Nosebleed can be a warning sign of a serious underlying health condition such as high blood pressure, hardening of artery walls, deficiency of calcium, growth of tumor inside the nasal cavity and so on.

Other nose bleeding causes are exposure to toxic substance and side effects of some medicines. Nosebleed in pregnant women often occur due to expansion in the blood vessels inside nose.

Generally, bleeding from nose stops without any treatment. In order to stop mild to moderate nosebleed within 5-10 minutes, you have to take a few quick steps. How to stop a nosebleed fast is given below:

Step #1: The moment you discover that your nose is bleeding, keep your mind cool and sit down in one place. Maintain an upright posture and bend your head forward.

Many people make the mistake of tilting their head backward or lie down to stop the blood from coming out but this will not stop bleeding. What is going to happen is that the blood will drain out into the throat and you get the feeling of choking and gagging.

Step #2: Then blow out the nose gently just once. It may increase the blood flow for some time but do not panic. This is done to take out any clotted blood from the opening of the ruptured blood vessels. Just take care that you do not end up blowing your nose too hard.

Step #3: The next step is pressing soft parts of both the nostrils together using the thumb and index finger. You have to hold this position for around 10 minutes. Start breathing through your mouth. This is helpful in clotting up the blood.

Step #4: While you hold the nose with your finger, start applying ice pack on it. Wrap up a few ice cubes and put it over the nose. This ensures faster clotting of blood and checks the blood flow.

Step #5: After few minutes of ice application, the bleeding should stop completely. Now, lie down on a bed or couch keeping the head in a slightly elevated position. Ideally, the head should be 30 to 45 degrees above the level of your heart. This is done to ease off the nasal pressure.

Step #6: For the next 24 hours, you have to be extra careful because bleeding may start all over again. For this reason, during this time, you must give adequate amount of rest to the body. Avoid any kind of physical strain and strenuous activities like bending down or lifting of heavy objects. Eat soft, cold foods. Avoid eating hot foods and do not smoke.

The best way to stop a nosebleed that we have discussed in this article is suitable for everyone including small children and pregnant women too. In case, nosebleed starts after a head injury, then that person should be rushed to the hospital immediately for proper bloody nose treatment.

Moreover, in any such cases, where the bleeding refuse to stop within 20 minutes, it likely is a serious issue and the patient should be taken to the doctor.