Nobody likes to have a nose bleed. They look ugly. Unless you’re a vampire, the dripping blood tastes gross. The clot that forms after a while to stop the bleeding makes it hard to breathe. It’s a sudden, (hopefully) infrequent event that we all have experienced at some point and will experience again. Why does it happen? Let’s look at the most widely believed causes.

• Blowing/Picking/Injury
• Who hasn’t given themselves a nose bleed by blowing their nose too hard? When your nose is really, really stuffed who can resist the urge to give it a little pick? What usually happens when someone hits your nose intentionally in a fight or you accidentally take a ball to the face? Every day, without knowing it, we are faced with an opportunity to experience a bloody nose. Yet, we can go months without having one. How can this be?
• As far as a stuffy nose is concerned, it comes down to willpower and being crafty. Can you find other ways to relieve your sinus pressure that doesn’t involve blowing holes in tissues and releasing the beast that is your finger? Or are you so much a creature of habit that you’ll never be able to break yourself of these bad habits? For me, I always resorted to these two options until I discovered acupressure (stimulating specific areas of your body with finger pressure to ease a particular ailment.) Though there are times when my nose is too stuffy for this to work, it usually does. I wouldn’t recommend it for everyone (especially people with heart problems), but it might be worth your looking into.
• If your bloody nose is a result of an accident, invest in a sturdy facial mask. It will cause people to stare at you and/or run the other way, but it will keep your nose safe. Safety first!
• Cold Breaking Up
• I always look forward to having a bloody nose after a cold because it means I’m getting better. Since the block is gone in there, I’ll be able to breathe better and sleep through the night. If a bloody nose can ever be considered a good thing, this would be the time.
• Dry Air
• Often, people’s nose starts bleeding after being in a poorly ventilated room. Your nose has been trying to adjust to the bad air. The dryness has dried your nasal membranes out and, as a result, they have cracked and started to bleed. If you plan on returning to this area, it is recommended that you gently swab your membranes with petroleum jelly to keep them from cracking. It won’t smell nice, but at least you won’t get a nose bleed.
• Hypertension/Stress
• Having a high blood pressure can cause you to have a nose bleed. When you’re under a lot of stress, your blood pressure shoots up which starts the flood of blood from your nose. You need to calm down and fast. A quick fix is to get yourself out of the situation. However, most of us don’t have the luxury of being able to leave when we feel overburdened. This in mind, your best bet is to take a deep breath, excuse yourself to the bathroom and take the few precious moments that stopping your bleed will take to mediate your pressure down to normal. For people with chronic hypertension, you could benefit from this exercise too.
• Hormones
• It is not uncommon for some women to experience a nose bleed or two during “that time of the month.” To quote womenshealth.org, “In a process called vicarious menstruation, surging estrogen levels in the bloodstream can cause the vessels in the nose to fill up, leading to bleeds.” When this happens, you need to stay calm and realize that your nose bleed will stop as fast as it has begun.

If you find that your nose bleeds on a daily basis, you need to go see your doctor. While I explained a few common reasons, there are many more that I didn’t touch on that are quite serious. If you feel that the cause of your nose bleed carries more weight than a cold or a period, don’t hesitate in calling your doctor. To put it bluntly, feeling silly is better than being dead.