Nosebleeds: Home Treatment

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Home Treatment

How to stop a nosebleed

Follow these steps to stop a nosebleed:

• Sit up straight and tip your head slightly forward. See an illustration of how to stop a nosebleed .

  Note: Do not tilt your head back. This may cause blood to run down the back of your throat, and you may swallow it. Swallowed blood can irritate your stomach and cause vomiting. And vomiting may make the bleeding worse or cause it to start again. Spit out any blood that gathers in your mouth and throat rather than swallowing it.

• Blow all the clots out of your nose. This may require fairly forceful blowing, and the bleeding may increase when clots come out of the nose.
• After blowing out the clots, use your thumb and forefinger to firmly pinch the soft part of your nose shut. The nose consists of a hard, bony part and a softer part made of cartilage. Nosebleeds usually occur in the soft part of the nose. Spraying the nose with a medicated nasal spray (such as Afrin) before applying pressure may help stop a nosebleed. You will have to breathe through your mouth.
• Apply an ice pack to your nose and cheeks. Cold will constrict the blood vessels and help stop the bleeding.
• 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.
• 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 20 minutes of direct pressure.
• Put a light coating of a moisturizing ointment, such as Vaseline, inside your nose. Do not blow your nose or put anything else inside your nose for at least 12 hours after the bleeding has stopped.
• Rest quietly for a few hours.

Nosebleeds in children

• Crying increases the blood flow to the face and makes bleeding from the nose worse. If your child has a nosebleed and is crying, speak in a quiet, relaxed manner to help control your child's fear.
• Make sure to check for an object in the nostrils. If an object is found, go to the topic Objects in the Nose.

Symptoms to Watch For During Home Treatment

Use the Check Your Symptoms section to evaluate your symptoms if any of the following occur during home treatment:

• A nosebleed cannot be stopped after 10 to 20 minutes of direct pressure.
• Nosebleeds recur 4 or more times in 1 week after trying prevention measures.
• Nosebleeds become more severe or more frequent.

Last updated:	April 20, 2007
Author:	Jan Nissl, RN, BS
Reviewed By:	William M. Green, MD - Emergency Medicine, Charles M. Myer, III, MD - Otolaryngology
Editors:	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Tracy Landauer