How to Treat and Prevent Nosebleeds
By Leanne Shelton
I know I am in the minority when I say I love the cold weather and definitely prefer it over the gross, sticky, hot, dog days of summer. What’s not to love?! The leaves are beautifully changing colors; there’s an energizing crisp to the air; there is so much to be thankful for and celebrate. I could go on and on. Have I convinced you it’s the best yet?
The cold weather and winter months usher in some rather unpleasant stuff, unfortunately. GERMS! Ever feel like people are sick all around you ALL SEASON LONG! And with all the windows closed, I feel like everything is just an incubator for germs. Yuck! To try to combat this, I constantly run my essential oil diffuser throughout the winter. The jury is still out on whether it makes a difference or not.
In addition to germs, there’s also something else that may not be so obvious. It’s the dry air. For me, if I spend too much time in a place where the air is too dry, I get a headache. For some of you, especially kids, the dry air may cause the dreaded NOSEBLEED.
I used to get them a lot as a kid. And when my kids get them now, it can be scary seeing what seems like an enormous amount of bright red blood on the tissue with a flow that doesn’t seem to be stopping. What should you do?
First, don’t panic. Sit in a chair and lean slightly forward. Do not lean your head back or lie down. This causes the blood to drain down the back of your throat. It tastes NASTY and could cause you to choke or gag.
Pinch the soft part of your nose, which is above your nostrils and below the bridge of your nose. Apply pressure for 10-15 minutes. If your nose is still bleeding after 15 minutes, pinch and apply pressure for another 10-15 minutes. If it hasn’t stopped after that, contact your doctor.
Dry air is not the only cause of nosebleeds, but it is a common one. They can also be caused by head colds or allergies, injuries, or infections. Most of the time, they are not serious.
To help prevent nosebleeds, you can spray saline into your nose. You can also put some Vaseline or lanolin on the inside of your nostrils. And you can try using a cool mist vaporizer to add some moisture to the air, especially at night.
And if your nosebleeds are caused by nose picking, try to not pick your nose. If your child picks his or her nose and gets nosebleeds, keeping the nails short will help prevent scratching.
If the nosebleed is caused by an injury, you should call your doctor or seek medical care if the bleeding doesn’t stop or if you are concerned about it.
If you want more information or have any questions about nosebleeds or first aid in general, contact Shoen Safety and Training. If you want to become CPR and/or First Aid certified, you can register for one of the upcoming classes at this link: https://shoensafety.com/events/.
I used information for this article from Healthline and the Mayo Clinic.
