Bloody Nose? Do NOT Do This…
Dang! Another instance where conventional wisdom and years-old treatments have failed us yet again.
Bloody noses - a staple in the lives of kids, sports-playing teens and allergy-ridden adults - are not to be treated by tipping the head back as once was thought. Instead, you are to lower and tip your head forward, catching any wayward bleeding in a tissue.
Why is this? Because tipping the head back will send blood down into the esophagus and potentially into the stomach, which can be irritating and possibly cause vomiting. But by leaning the head forward, you can avoid such issues.
Other treatment tips? Pinch the meaty party of your nose on the sides just below your bridge to help ease bleeding. Also be sure to keep your nose above heart level, which can also help slow things down.
If the bleeding hasn’t stopped within 20 minutes or your trauma was caused by a blow to the head, be sure to see your doctor. Otherwise, leaning forward should do you well.
This has been a Healthbolt Easy Health Tip.
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POSTED IN: A Mother's Wisdom, Easy Health Tips, First Aid, Happy Living Tip, Your Body
8 opinions for Bloody Nose? Do NOT Do This…
Adrian
Apr 29, 2008 at 10:38 pm
Another thing, make sure you pinch your nose only just hard enough to stop the bleeding but not so hard as to cut off all air. For blood to coagulate, it needs oxygen.
Maybe it sounds obvious, but I used to have bleeds which would last for an hour because I would squeeze too hard!
Hope Wilbanks
Apr 30, 2008 at 4:13 am
When I was a child, I had horrible nose bleeds all the time. I was told to do all sorts of things to make the bleeding stop, including what you’ve mentioned here. To this day when I have a nose bleed, I *always* tilt my head back. My husband (EMT) fusses at me, but I have had enough nose bleeds to know how to make it stop. It might not be the healthiest thing for me to do, but everything else I’ve tried, especially tilting my head forward, has always made the bleeding worse. (Trust me, I have horror stories you do NOT want to hear about! ;) )
Joey
Apr 30, 2008 at 12:18 pm
Being a rambunctious child and then serving 8 years in the military as an equally-if-not-more rambunctious adult, I’ve suffered from hundreds of nosebleeds and multiple broken noses. I’ve been given advice similar to this by multiple medical personnel and I can attest from experience that it is true.
Liberty
Apr 30, 2008 at 7:36 pm
Adrian, sometimes the most obvious things are the least obvious. Thanks so much for that tip. Hopefully your nosebleeds are looong gone now. :)
Liberty
Apr 30, 2008 at 7:40 pm
Yikes, Hope! Sorry you had such troubles with nosebleeds. Yuck.
So you’re a little bass-ackwards from what the post suggests, eh? Well, that’s okay. We still love you anyway. ;) Thanks for sharing your experiences, and stick with whatever works fer ya.
Liberty
Apr 30, 2008 at 7:43 pm
Cool, Joey. Thanks for being rambunctious enough to put this theory to the test. It’s always nice to have testers “in the field” who can vouch for our spoutings. ;)
Joey
May 1, 2008 at 9:48 pm
:)
Oh, I’ve calmed down considerably since those days (my new occupation in an office certainly helps!) but I will check in should some haywire office mishap send me back to the ENT (ear, nose, throat) specialist.
Thanks for the great posts!
dwight
Jun 1, 2008 at 11:39 am
i have terrible allergies and i wrestle and one thing that has really worked well for me is taking any piece of toilet paper tissue napkin etc and tearing it into a piece about an inch long. then rolling it and putting it under my upper lip.
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