Getting a nosebleed out of the blue can range from annoying to frightening, depending on how bad it is. There are a number of things you can do to avoid getting a nosebleed. One of the ways is to make sure you keep your nose from drying out. Certain cold and allergy medications will dry your sinuses, but also give you a nosebleed. Learn how to avoid getting nosebleeds.
Most nosebleeds occur towards the front of the nose since is where there are many capillaries. And there are numerous reasons a nosebleed occurs. Here are some steps you can take to avoid getting a nosebleed.
Keep Your Nose Moist to Avoid Nosebleeds
One major reason people get a nosebleed is from dryness, but dryness can be caused by several reasons. One reason is taking cold or hay fever medicine. Any medicine that stops your nose from running causes your nose to become very dry.
These are called antihistamines and are found in just about but not all cold, flu and hay fever medicines. If you need to take an antihistamine, then make sure you keep your nose moist or you could get a nosebleed.
A good way to really get your nose moist is to boil some water. As it boils, carefully breathe in the steam and be careful you don’t burn your face.
You can make your own home humidifier by boiling water and letting the steam circulate through the house, this works as good as a humidifier or a vaporizer. Having a humidifier in the winter is also a good idea.
Another way to keep your nose moist is to use saline type products directly in your nose. One product that has helped me to prevent getting nosebleeds in the driest conditions is a product called Ayr (pronounced air) by B. F. Ascher and Co. Inc.
You can use a spray or gel. The product I use is Ayr Saline Nasal Gel. A nurse once told me not to use petroleum-based products like Vaseline as it inhibits the airflow. Keeping your nose moist is the most important part of avoiding a nosebleed.
Be Careful Blowing Your Nose
Well here you are, you have a runny nose from allergies or a cold and you don’t want to take an antihistamine. Your nose is running and all you can do is constantly blow your nose. That can irritate your nose until you get a nosebleed.
Don’t Blow Your Nose so Hard
This is even worse, blowing as hard as you can as if your nose was a trumpet or tuba. Even if your nose is totally stuffed up, don’t blow it so hard.
This can certainly cause a nosebleed. If you have a stuffy nose, the best time to blow your nose is after a shower, which adds steam to your environment.
Using the above-mentioned boiling water and inhaling the steam method works very well. This will not only moisten your nose, but clear it as well. Once again, be careful not to burn your face.
You can also try using a decongestant like Afrin spray. Be careful when using a decongestant spray as you can actually become addicted to it.
You might be tempted to use it at the first sign of a stuffy nose but then your body becomes addicted to it, making your nose stuffy more often.
There are also Breathe Right nasal strips, these work great at night. If you do suffer from nosebleeds, and you don’t even want to blow your stuffy nose.
Don’t Pick Your Nose
You might have heard this as a little kid. But for kids and adults alike this is one of the main reasons for getting a nosebleed.
Other Reasons for Getting a Nosebleed
- High blood pressure can also be the cause of getting a nosebleed.
- Low in vitamin K. Vitamin K helps the blood coagulate, and being low in vitamin K can possibly cause a bloody nose. If you are taking a blood thinner like Warfarin, make sure you talk to your doctor about eating anything or vitamins that contain vitamin K.
- Too much Aspirin can also thin the blood.
- Fish oil supplements can also thin the blood enough to also cause bloody noses.
- Too much turmeric can also thin the blood.
- There are numerous other supplements that when taken together can cause the blood to thin too much, causing bloody noses.
Natural Remedies for Nasal Problems
You can keep your nose clean using a saline solution or salt water. Eating a spicy meal with peppers can also clear a stuffy nose nicely.
Keeping your nose clear can be as simple as just avoiding certain foods and drink that can create more mucus causing a stuffy nose, like dairy products and alcohol. It is not uncommon to be slightly allergic to alcohol that will cause a stuffy nose.
The hay fever season is a bad time of year; your nose gets stuffy, runny and stuffy again. And you are probably out in the wind.
All of these factors can dry your nose to the point of a nosebleed. Mid winter, your furnace is on and the house is much drier than usual. Winter colds and the furnace together can really dry out your nose to the point of a nosebleed.
How to Stop a Nosebleed
Getting a nosebleed is annoying and can be scary. Please read this article about the proper ways to stop a nosebleed.
Sam Montana is a certified Food Over Medicine instructor from the Wellness Forum Health Center and certified in optimal nutrition from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Copyright © 2009-2018 Sam Montana
