How to Administer First Aid to Nose Bleeds

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By E. Claudette Freeman
eHow Contributing Writer

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Nosebleeds are perhaps one of the most invasive medical occurrences. Suddenly and without warning a warm trickle of blood appears from the center of your face and before you know it you are the center of attention. Nosebleeds are usually related to allergies, excessive blowing, repeated scratching or disturbing of the inside of the nose (commonly called nose picking). Chronic nosebleeds are primarily symptomatic of fragile blood vessels. Medications, such as antihistamines, can also dry out the nasal areas, weakening the vessels and encouraging nose bleeds. Old-fashioned remedies may not help in stopping that bothersome nosebleed. Here is the proper way to administer first aid to nosebleeds.

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Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Saline or nasal decongestant spray

Step 1

At the onset of the nosebleed, pinch the nostril area of the nose inward as hard as you can.
Step 2

Lean slightly forward for 10 mintues to give the blood time to clot. Don't bend over completely; you simply want to ensure that the stream is moving forward and not back toward the throat.
Step 3

After the 10 minutes, release your nose and sit upright slowly. It is important that you do not blow your nose. The desire to do so will be agonizingly strong, but do not blow your nose for the balance of the day.
Step 4

If you find the bleeding has not stopped, try the steps again. If the problem is still occurring, an over-the-counter saline or nasal decongestant spray should help. These immediately constrict blood vessels, thereby ending the bleeding. If you use a nasal spray, you may blow very gently to clear the fluid from your nose.

Tips & Warnings

The immediate objective is to create a blood clot in the nose and leave it intact for a period of time to stop the stream flow.
Don't lean back. Leaning backwards forces blood to drain into the back of the throat. Often this leads to the need to regurgitate and could cause choking.
In some cases, nosebleeds may be indicative of other medical problems. Multiple-day flow, heavy flow or flow with pieces of tissue should be attended to by a medical professional immediately.

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