Table of contents:
- What should be done immediately when a nosebleed occurs
- 1. Don't panic
- 2. Pressing the nose
- 3. Leaning in
- 4. Don't sneeze
- How to deal with nosebleeds with natural remedies
- 1. Ice compress
- 2. Salt water or saline
- 3. Betel leaf
- 4. Vitamin C
- How to deal with nosebleeds with medical drugs
- 1. Decongestant sprays
- 2. Tranexamic acid
- When should a nosebleed be brought to the doctor?
Nosebleeds are a type of bleeding that is quite common. Usually a nosebleed is not serious or dangerous. However, this nose bleed is certainly very annoying and uncomfortable. Don't worry just yet, you can handle nosebleeds independently at home. Apart from pinching your nose for a few minutes, there are various types of medication that are easy to find in your home, as well as drugs you can get at the pharmacy. Check out the various ways to deal with the following nosebleeds.
What should be done immediately when a nosebleed occurs
Nosebleeds are nose bleeds caused by rupturing of the blood vessels in the nose. Damage to the nasal blood vessels can be triggered by a variety of things, from picking up the skin too hard, nose injuries, lack of nasal moisture, to certain health problems, such as nasal polyps or blood clotting disorders.
Nosebleeds are usually not too worrying and you can treat them yourself at home. So, before using drugs to stop nosebleeds, you can immediately do the initial treatment for nosebleeds below:
1. Don't panic
When the blood comes out of your nose, try to stay calm. The panic you create can actually cause an action to further irritate your nose and prevent it from clotting.
2. Pressing the nose
After overcoming your panic, pinch your nose gently. Simply press just below the bridge of the nose or part of the bone and hold it for 10 minutes if possible. This method is the beginning of overcoming the nosebleeds that happen to you.
3. Leaning in
Now, because it is dangerous to raise your head when you have a nosebleed, you have to lean forward. This is done to prevent blood from flowing back up into your throat.
4. Don't sneeze
While the blood is still flowing, don't accidentally try to sneeze or get blood out of your nose. This can actually make it difficult to stop nosebleeds and stimulate the blood that has begun to dry up to return to flow again.
How to deal with nosebleeds with natural remedies
Apart from practicing the steps above, you can also try using natural ingredients that are in your home as a nosebleed remedy. What are these ingredients?
1. Ice compress
After you pinch the bridge of your nose and the blood starts to drain, prepare an ice cube and wrap it in a soft cloth.
Never place an ice cube directly on your nose as this carries the risk of causing tissue damage. After the ice cube is wrapped in a cloth, apply it to the outside of your nose for a few minutes.
By applying ice cubes wrapped in a cloth, you can stop bleeding by constricting the blood vessels in the nasal passages.
2. Salt water or saline
Nosebleeds can be caused by various things. Some of them are air that is too cold and dry. For that, you need a home remedy in the form of salt water, aka a solution saline to relieve nosebleeds due to cold and dry air.
The salt water will help moisturize the lining of the nose and reduce irritation of the nasal passages. Salt is also effective in narrowing the flow of blood vessels in the nose, so that the bleeding will stop.
To treat nosebleeds with salt water, dissolve the salt in warm water. After that, wet the cotton with the salt water. While slightly tilting your head, drop a sufficient amount of salt water from the cotton through the nostrils.
3. Betel leaf
So far, maybe you have only heard of the benefits of betel leaf which can be used as a medicine to treat nosebleeds from parents or people around you.
It turns out that this is true. In some studies it is said that betel leaf has the ability to help the body to speed up wound healing, which you can use as a way to stop nosebleeds.
In betel leaf, there are ingredients such as tannins and various other substances that can speed up the blood clotting process, so that bleeding in the nose will stop quickly.
Not only that, betel leaf is thought to have contributed to the immune system. In this case, of course, the stronger your immunity, the faster the wound or inflammation that occurs in the body will improve.
Take one or two betel leaves that have been cleaned beforehand. Then, roll the betel leaf and insert it into the bleeding nostril. Press it lightly, not so that you press too hard as it will worsen the condition of your nose. Wait a few moments and the blood will decrease slowly.
4. Vitamin C
Vitamin C is indeed famous for its myriad of properties that are good for health. You can also take advantage of the goodness of vitamin C as a remedy for nosebleeds.
According to an article from StatPearls, deficiency of vitamin C can have an impact on the strength of the capillaries, which are the smallest blood vessels in the body. Well, these capillaries are also found in the wall of the nose, and nosebleeds usually occur due to damage to these blood vessels.
Hence, consuming enough vitamin C has the potential to help strengthen the damaged blood vessels inside your nose.
How to deal with nosebleeds with medical drugs
Sometimes, nosebleeds can't stop right away with only natural remedies like the ones above. Therefore, you can use other ways to deal with nosebleeds quickly, namely by using medical drugs.
Here is a list of drugs that you can use to stop bleeding in the nose:
1. Decongestant sprays
One type of medication that you can use to stop nosebleeds is a nasal decongestant spray.
Choose a nasal decongestant that contains oxymetazoline. Spray this drug 3 times into the bleeding nostrils, then re-pinch your nose until the bleeding stops.
Decongestants are drugs that are effective at reducing nasal bleeding because they help shrink damaged blood vessels. However, do not use this drug too often because it runs the risk of worsening the condition of your nose.
2. Tranexamic acid
Apart from decongestants, you can also take tranexamic acid drugs for nosebleeds. This drug is generally used to reduce excessive bleeding in menstruation. However, you can also take this drug to treat bleeding in the nose because of its performance which affects the blood clotting process.
However, avoid using this drug without a doctor's prescription. Consult with your doctor first whether you really need this drug or not.
When should a nosebleed be brought to the doctor?
The steps and medications above should be more than enough to treat a nosebleed. However, if the blood continues to flow for more than 20 minutes and the actions you have taken have not yet produced results, you should immediately see a doctor for further medical treatment.
In addition, if you have difficulty breathing, lose a lot of blood due to nosebleeds, swallow a lot of blood to vomit, and your nosebleeds occur due to nose problems or serious accidents, you should also see a doctor for further examination and treatment.