My nose just started bleeding for no reason

Why Is My Nose Bleeding?

Several things can trigger a nosebleed. The most common cause is dry air, either from having the heat on in winter or being in a hot, low-humidity climate. Other causes include:

• Picking your nose
• Blowing your nose too hard often
• Injuries caused by a fall or getting hit in your nose
• Side effects of medication, like blood thinners
• Allergies
• High altitudes, where the air is thin

Nosebleeds usually aren’t serious. You can treat most by yourself at home by doing the following:

• Stay calm. If you start to get nervous, it can actually make you bleed more. Try to relax.
• Sit up, don’t lie down. Keep your head above your heart.
• Lean a little bit forward. This keeps the blood from draining down the back of your throat.
• Pinch your nostrils closed. Use your thumb and index finger to hold your nostrils closed for 5 to 10 minutes while you breathe through your mouth. This puts pressure on the part of your nose that’s bleeding and can make the blood stop flowing.

Once the bleeding has stopped, do not touch or blow your nose. This may start it bleeding again. But if it does restart, gently blow your nose to get rid of any blood clots. You can also spray a decongestant such as oxymetazoline (Afrin, Mucinex, or Vicks Sinex) in both nostrils. Then pinch your nostrils shut and breathe through your mouth for 5 to 10 minutes.

Call your doctor if:

• You fell or hit your nose on something
• You get nosebleeds often
• Your nosebleed lasts longer than 20 minutes even after you put pressure on it
• There’s so much bleeding that it’s hard to breathe.
• You’re taking blood thinners, such as warfarin (Coumadin), dabigatran (Pradaxa), rivaroxaban (Xarelto), fondaparinux sodium (Arixtra), or aspirin, or you have a bleeding disorder.

If your doctor can’t get your nosebleed to stop with pressure, they might try:

Cauterization.This procedure burns a blood vessel closed. After your doctor numbs your nose, they’ll use either a heated electronic device (an electrocautery) or a chemical called silver nitrate to close the leaky blood vessel.

Packing.Your doctor puts a latex balloon or gauze into your nostril. This puts a lot of pressure on a blood vessel until it closes.

How to Prevent Nosebleeds

You can’t always prevent nosebleeds from happening, but there are certain things you can do to help lower your chances of getting them:

• Keep the inside of your nose moist. Dryness can cause nosebleeds. Use a cotton swab to gently smear a thin layer petroleum jelly in your nostrils three times a day, including before you go to sleep. You can also use an antibiotic ointment like Bacitracin or Polysporin.
• Use a saline nasal product. Spraying it in your nostrils helps keep the inside of your nose moist.
• Use a humidifier. Your nostrils might be dry because the air in your house is dry.
• Don’t smoke.Smoking can irritate the inside of your nose and dry it out.
• Don’t pick your nose. Also, don’t blow or rub it too hard. If your child is getting nosebleeds, keep their fingernails short and discourage them from picking their nose.
• Don’t use cold and allergy medications too often. These can dry out your nose. In some cases, certain medications can cause nosebleeds or make them worse. You may need to discuss your medications with your doctor. But keep taking them unless your doctor tells you to stop.

If you’ve ever wiped your nose and seen blood, you’ve had a nosebleed. They’re common: One out of every seven people in the United States will get a one at some point. They’re most common in kids between 2 and 10 years old and adults between 50 and 80 years old.

Types of Nosebleeds

A nosebleed comes from the front of your nose (anterior) or the back of it (posterior).

• Anterior nosebleeds. The wall that separates your nostrils is called the septum. It has a lot of blood vessels that can break from a hit in the face or even a scratch of your fingernail. Most nosebleeds start in the lower part of the septum, meaning close to your nostrils.
• Posterior nosebleeds. These are more rare. They start deeper in the back of your nose. Posterior nosebleeds are more likely to happen in older people, those with high blood pressure, or those who have had a face injury.

It can be hard to tell if you have a posterior or anterior nosebleed. Both can make blood flow toward the back of your throat if you’re lying on your back. But posterior nosebleeds can be much more serious. You’re more likely to need emergency help.

Nosebleed Causes

Most are spontaneous, meaning they happen unexpectedly and don’t have a known cause. But if you get nosebleeds a lot, there may be a reason you can pinpoint:

• Dry climates or dry, heated air that dries out the inside of your nose
• Picking your nose or rubbing it too hard
• An upper respiratory infection like a cold
• Repeated nose-blowing
• An injury to your nose or a foreign object in your nose
• A deviated septum
• Allergies or allergy medicines that can dry out your nose, like antihistamines and decongestants
• Certain blood thinners
• Taking aspirin regularly
• Nasal sprays
• A sinus infection
• Chemicals that irritate your airways, like ammonia
• Pregnancy
• Alcohol use

Nosebleeds can also be caused by bleeding disorders, but it’s rare. If your nosebleed doesn’t stop, or you have a lot of bleeding from your gums or when you get minor cuts, see a doctor. Bleeding disorders can be serious because platelets in your blood that help it clot are missing or aren’t working.

Another rare cause of nosebleeds can be a tumor in the nose or sinuses. It may be noncancerous, also called benign, or cancerous. Only about 2,000 cases of cancerous tumors in the nose or sinuses are diagnosed in the U.S. each year.

In some cases, nosebleeds can be caused by genes passed down in families. A rare condition called hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) affects the blood vessels. The main symptom is repeated nosebleeds that seem to come out of nowhere and get worse over time.

If you have HHT, you might wake up at night with your pillow soaked in blood, and you may develop red spots on your face or hands. If one or both of your parents has this condition and you’re having nosebleeds, ask your doctor about being tested for it. Treatments can help improve your symptoms.