Are you having dinner one day and suddenly your young child started bleeding from the nose while he’s eating his food? Or are you working late one day when you realize that blood is dripping from your nose? Whether you are doing first aid for yourself or a loved one, knowing how to stop nose bleeding can be a helpful skill to learn.
Why does nose bleeding occur?
Usually, nose bleeding is caused by a trauma either inside or outside the nose. It can be as simple as an act of picking your nose, causing your nose to become irritated for a nose bleed to flare up. In other cases, receiving a blow to your face can also cause nose bleeding. High blood pressure has always been cited as a cause for nose bleeding, though when this occurs, it’s also a sign of another medical condition. For some people who are taking blood-thinning drugs such as aspirin or warfarin, the blood will have difficulty in clotting and can cause nose bleeds. It’s also common for kids under 10 years old to experience nose bleeds as the nose is often irritated by picking or by dry air.
How to stop nose bleeds
When a nose bleed occurs, the first thing you have to do is to get the person to either sit straight or lean slightly forward. This is to avoid blood from flowing down the throat. Next, using your thumb and index finger, pinch the part just right below the bridge of the nose against the face. The pressure you apply to this part should be firm but not excessive. You should not let go of the pressure for at least five minutes. However, if you find that the bleeding does not stop after 5 minutes, you need to continue applying pressure to the nose.
What if the first aid doesn’t work?
Even if you have taken steps to try to stop the nose bleed, the first aid process can fail when you either do not apply the right amount of pressure or when you do not apply the pressure for long enough to complete the blood clotting process. Try to make sure that you are pinching the right part of the nose as well as apply the right pressure for long enough. If you are doing first aid for a child, make sure that you take time to comfort him or her and let the child know that this is nothing to worry about.
In severe cases where the first aid treatment does not stop the bleeding after 20 minutes, it’s pertinent that you visit a healthcare professional such as a physician immediately. Especially when the blood flow is so much that it interferes with normal breathing, seeking professional medical treatment is the best thing to do.
Nose bleed treatment will be covered under first aid training
For those of you who want to know the right way of performing first aid for nose bleeds, this is covered under most first aid training courses. Nose bleeds can occur easily in everyone’s daily lives and that’s why learning how to stop nose bleeds can be really useful for anyone out there.
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