Hey there! Welcome to Life Noggin!
If you’ve never had a nosebleed before, the first one can be terrifying. Especially
if you’re young when it happens and have no idea what’s going on. All you know is
that blood is leaking out of your face...for no reason.
But of course, now that you are older you know that there is a reason your nose started
to bleed...you were experiencing a condition known as epistaxis. When this occurs, it can
be one of two types: anterior or posterior. More than likely, you’ll get an anterior
nosebleed which is caused by irritation to blood vessels in the nasal septum.
That’s the part of your nose that separates your two nostrils. And it’s also the part
of your nose that can get deviated, which can lead to difficulty breathing. And fun
fact: it’s estimated that 80% of people have some type of misalignment to their nasal
septum. If I had a nose, I could attest to that, but sadly my face is pretty featureless. As you can see.
But a block can dream!
Anyway, in the nasal septum is an area called the Kiesselbach plexus, where four different
arteries come together to form a network of blood vessels. So, when this area is irritated
by either a vigorous blow or a roaming finger, some of the blood vessels may break. And then
you get blood running down your face and possibly down the back of your throat.
But what about dry air? In the northern hemisphere, winter is coming up and with it comes a lot
of nosebleeds. The decreased humidity and temperature prevent your nose from getting
the moisture it needs. This then makes the mucous membrane more susceptible to bleeding
and...Voila! You’ve got blood leaking down your nostril. The only thing more unappealing
than that is saying the words “mucous membrane.”
So how do you stop the blood? It’s recommended that you pinch the soft part of your nose
for ten minutes, making sure to keep the nostrils closed. This pressure helps the blood to clot
and stops the bleeding. Oh, and lean forward during this because otherwise, as I previously
mentioned, blood can leak down the back of your throat. (Which you don't want.) However, if you are lucky enough
to be near a doctor when you get a nosebleed, if they can easily see the broken blood vessel,
they may be able to cauterize, or seal, it using silver nitrate.
So do yourself a favor and keep all fingers and foreign objects away from your nostrils.
Your nose and future self will thank you.
Have you ever had a nosebleed? Do you get them often? If you're comfortable with sharing
let us know in the comments or tell us what we should we talk about next.
And if you want even more Life Noggin, check out this video we did on would happen if all cat suddenly died.
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As always my name is Blocko, this is been life noggin, don't forget to keep on thinking.