Nosebleeds are a common problem that plagues the masses. It’s expected to have these occurrences if you’ve been hit in the nose or have head trauma. But did you know that there are other reasons why you can experience nosebleeds?
Your nose is a delicate structure filled with tiny blood vessels that are prone to bursting upon impact. However, some bizarre reasons why your nose might bleed have nothing to do with being hit in this area, and they may need to be further evaluated.
Ten Things That Can Cause Nosebleeds
According to the Cleveland Clinic, about 60 percent of the population will have at least one nose bleed in their life. If you suffer from constant nosebleeds or a member of your family has this issue, then here are ten various causes that could be to blame.
1. Sinus Issues
Those who are prone to allergies might deal with a bleeding nose on occasion. If you’re allergic to grass, then being around freshly cut grass can be a trigger for you. When your respiratory system dries out, it can cause it to bleed from irritation.
Seasonal allergy suffers often complain of an occasional bleed during prime season. As the nasal passages become quite irritated from blowing, dripping, and excessive mucus, it’s only natural that they would become inflamed and bleed.
2. High Blood Pressure
Oddly, having high blood pressure could cause a bleed in your nose. However, when the body’s pressure is too high, it affects the red blood cells from functioning normally. As hypertension worsens, it can disrupt the blood flow to the vital organs and your muscular tissues.
The blood vessel walls become weak, which makes them prone to damage. As a result, a bleeding nose may be an indication of an underlying issue.
3. Chemical Irritants
It’s not uncommon for your nose to bleed as a response to chemical irritants. Two of the biggest culprits are bleach and ammonia, but many others can cause significant damage. It’s always best to use natural products to clean your home for this reason.
When you inhale chemical irritants, it can dry out the nose and cause damage to the blood vessels, which results in bleeding. Your place of employment may also be to blame. If you’re around potent spices or other strong odors, it can wreak havoc on your nose.
4. Injuries
Obviously, getting hit in the head or nose area is going to cause it to bleed. It’s imperative to get this type of bleeding under control immediately as it’s so close to the brain it’s troublesome.
If you cannot get the bleeding to stop, then go to the emergency room immediately. This is one type of bleed that you don’t want to mess around with, especially when the trauma is severe.
5. Picking or Blowing Too Much
Children often pick their noses during their younger years. However, those who blow their nose often can also cause issues. When you blow or pick too much, you cause the blood vessels inside the nose to burst, and it causes it to bleed.
If you have a cold or sinus issue, try not to blow or pick too much at the area as you can cause further damage.
6. Upper Respiratory Infection
A respiratory infection is notorious for causing your nose to bleed. The area is inflamed and working overtime to clear the infection. When your nose is expelling snot to remove the virus, those blood vessels can become quite irritated.
In fact, the whole area may be red, sore, and raw from the bug.
7. Foreign Object Stuck in Nasal Passages
How many times has a child stuck a bean, crayon, or another foreign object into their nose holes? It’s a common issue that happens with most kids. However, those little items can cause some damage as they become lodged.
Any trauma to this area can cause some blood loss. If you cannot easily remove the object without causing damage, your local emergency room has experts in handling this matter.
8. Thinning of The Blood
Did you know that some foods naturally thin your blood? Eating things like chia seeds, garlic, as well as ginger, and turmeric can cause your nose to bleed? According to an article published by New Health Advisor, it’s not uncommon for people who eat certain foods to have more thinning blood issues, which can cause your nose to bleed.
9. Body Overheating
It seems that you have more than one reason to stay out of the sun. You know that overexposure to harmful UV rays can cause cancer, but did you know that getting overheated can cause your nose to bleed? When your body temperature rises, it can cause your blood pressure to increase, which will cause the pressure inside the body to leak blood through your nose.
10. Deviated Septum
Do you have a deviated septum? The wall of cartilage between your nostrils is there to protect the structural integrity of your nose. Sadly, this deviation causes one nostril to be larger than the other.
Those with a deviated septum often blow their nose more than the average person as they’re trying to clear the airways to breathe. Frequent blowing can damage the blood vessels and cause bleeding.
Seven Ways to Stop a Nosebleed
Now that you know all the many reasons that cause your nose to bleed, you need to know what to do to stop it. In most instances, a nosebleed wills stop quickly without much intervention, but there may be times when you need to take extra first aid steps to get the bleeding under control.
1. Adjust Your Position
When your nose begins to bleed, sit up and tip your head backward. You want to control the situation and don’t allow it to expel from the nasal passages. For some odd reason, sitting upright with your head back tends to stop the bleeding quicker.
2. Pinch the Nose
Pinch your nose closed. When you do this, you’re stopping the blood from getting all over everything, and you can protect the area. For instance, if you’re in a place where bleach or ammonia is strong, you can stop the bleeding by simply blocking the irritation. Within a few minutes, the bleed should subside when you’re no longer overheated or around chemicals.
3. Cool the Area with An Ice Pack
If you’ve been in the sun and your body is overheated, you might see your nose bleed as a result. Applying an ice pack to the area will help this region get to a better temperature and stop bleeding.
4. Use A Saline Nasal Spray
You can get many saline nasal sprays over the counter. These are usually natural and have nothing but saline in them to help flush irritated passages.
If you get a bleed frequently, then it may be advisable to have these sprays on hand. The key is that you don’t want to use them too much, as overexposure to saline can irritate too.
5. Use A Humidifier
It’s not uncommon to have more bleeds during the winter months, primarily since you use the heat more during this season. If you suffer from dry and irritated nasal passages, then a humidifier can undoubtedly help.
By putting moisture into the air, you can help to repair those dry and cracked areas. Additionally, you won’t wake up with so much dry mouth either, which is a common problem that indicates you need a humidifier.
6. Avoid Things That Can Thin the Blood
Adjusting your diet may be the key to getting your bleeding nose under control. If you eat things like spinach, garlic, chia, or other blood-thinning foods, then you may need to cut back. Your diet could have everything to do with your frequent bleeding issues.
Additionally, ingesting blood-thinning foods may have a more challenging time getting the bleed to stop.
7. See A Doctor
While you may have an occasional bleed, it’s not normal to have these occurrences constantly. If you have them frequently, then you need to see what’s the underlying cause. A medical examination can point you in the right direction to solving your problem.
Something as dangerous as hypertension could be behind these bleeds, and you don’t want to risk a heart attack or stroke from not treating a medical problem.
Final Thoughts on Nosebleeds
Nosebleeds are relatively common occurrences, and some people are more prone to them than others. However, if these bleeds become frequent or increase in severity, it’s essential to get to the root cause. You may have an underlying health issue that is showing you signs through these bleeds.
Additionally, your body may be trying to tell you something, and if you don’t listen to these warning signs, it could cause you significant issues down the road. Sure, a nosebleed can be a benign occurrence, but there are times when they are a little more sinister in nature.
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