What is the anatomy of a bloody nose? Exactly what blood vessels rupture and why? Why do I get a bloody nose from my right nostril in Oregon where’s it’s arid but not in NC where it’s humid? Why only out of my left nostril when I have a sinus infection? Should I eat sugary foods after a really torrential bleed? Is it bad to tilt my head back and swallow the blood like I always thought? Or is it bad to lean forward and let it bleed out? Does it really help to put a cool cloth on the back of your neck (I always thought that one was b.s.)? Do people really get bloody noses at high altitudes, and why don’t I? Can I post more than one question at a time in one OP?
Here’s the rundown from WebMD:
[quote]
[list=1][li]Sit up straight and tip your head slightly forward. Tilting the head back may cause blood to run down the back of your throat, where you may swallow it. If you swallow blood, it can irritate your stomach and cause vomiting. To avoid this, spit out blood that gathers in your mouth and throat rather than swallowing it.[/li][li]Blow all the clots out of your nose. This may require fairly forceful blowing, and the bleeding may actually increase when clots come out of the nose.[/li][li]Firmly pinch the soft part of your nose shut between your thumb and forefinger after blowing out the clots. The nose consists of a hard bony part and a softer part made of cartilage. Nosebleeds usually occur in the soft part.[/li][li]Keep pinching for a full 10 minutes. Use a clock to time the 10 minutes. It can seem like a long time. Resist the urge to peek after a few minutes to see if your nose has stopped bleeding.[/li][li]Check to see if your nose is still bleeding after 10 minutes. If it is, hold it for 10 more minutes. Most nosebleeds will stop after 10 to 30 minutes of direct pressure.[/li][li]Stay quiet for a few hours. Do not blow you nose or put anything inside your nose except a light coating of a moisturizing ointment, such as Vaseline, for at least 12 hours after the bleeding has stopped.[/list=1][/li][/quote]
Causes (from this article):
Of course, I am not a doctor (but I can research one on the web).
Quix is not a doc, but his info is quite accurate. Just let me re-emphasize one point: Blow out the clots! In the nose, clots keep the bleeding from stopping. They sit next to the bleeding site, and consume all the fibrin and platelets and other goodies meant to stop the bleeding at the site. Nosebleeds are next to impossible to stop if a big clot is still sitting in the nasal passages.
QtM, MD
BTW, excellent work, quix
Thanks, Qadgop. Just a couple of minutes on WebMD, actually. But a couple of things from Babar714’s OP have me wondering, and now that we have an actual MD responding - what’s the deal with the sugary foods? I’ve not heard of that before. And the cool cloth on the back of the neck? If I recall correctly, my Mom used to do that to me, too, but I’m thinking it has more to do with keeping a child calm than any true medicinal value.
Sugary foods? No idea.
Cold cloth? It will stimulate the vagus nerve, leading to a reflex drop in blood pressure and lowering of heart rate. Calming, as you said.