Home Remedy for Nosebleeds

Because of the heat in this summer months and due to the changes in the environmental humidity, nosebleeds or epistaxis is a common incident in school and in the household. Nosebleeds, although they are messy and inconvenient, can usually be stopped with home treatment.

Common causes of nosebleeds

Some of the common causes of nosebleeds are low and quick changing humidity, allergies, colds, blow or trauma to the nose, vigorous blowing of the nose in times of nasal congestion, medications (like aspirin), high altitudes, and vigorous picking of the nose. Seated in the nose are small blood vessels that easily rupture when the body is feverish or exposed to extremes of temperature.

Home treatment for Nosebleeds

1. Sit up straight and tip your head on either ways: forward or backward. If you don’t really mind that blood drips down your throat and you feel comfortable in tilting your head backwards, then the position pleases you. Otherwise, tilting your head slightly forward is the textbook description in nosebleed initial treatment.

2. Blow all clots out of your nose.

3. Pinch your nostrils by shutting them down with your thumb and your forefinger or apply pressure to the bleeding nostril for about 10 full minutes.

4. Do not peek at your nostrils after a few minutes after the bleeding has stopped. This might trigger bleeding to recur.

5. Wait still for a few minutes or maybe for another 10 minutes, before looking at them in front of a mirror.

6. If it still bleeds, pinch again for another 10 minutes.

Most nosebleeds will stop after 10 to 30 minutes of direct pressure.

When to call the doctor

Call for a doctor or go to the doctor’s office or emergency room:

1. If the bleeding has not stopped after 30 minutes of direct pressure.

2. If blood runs down the back of your throat even when the nose is pinched.

3. If the nose is deformed after a trauma, blow, or injury to the nose. It may be broken.

4. If nosebleeds recur often.

Prevention

Keep the heat low, most especially in sleeping areas. If your nose becomes very dry because of the heat, breathe moist air for a while (example: take a shower). Put a little petroleum jelly on the inside to help prevent bleeding. A nasal spray with a very little amount of salt may also help. Limit your use of aspirin that can contribute to nosebleeds.