nose bleeds and headaches
Nosebleeds and Headaches
Nosebleeds coupled with headaches may be intimidating for the affected person. There could be several causes behind this. This article helps you understand these causes, and gives you a few tips on how to manage nosebleed during emergency, and prevent it from occurring.
In most cases, only one of the nostrils bleeds along with headache. However, in rare cases, both the nostrils can bleed. Nosebleeds require immediate treatment as it results in blood loss. It can make a person lose consciousness. Most people suffering from both nosebleeds as well as headaches, experience trouble in breathing as their blood pressure rises.
Stopping Nosebleeds: Tips to Follow
• Sit down and pinch the end of the nose. The nose should be kept pinched for 5 minutes.
• If even after 5 to 7 minutes, the bleeding continues, then apply some pressure on the nose, and at the same time, make sure that the end of the nose is pinched.
• Ice bags may also help, to some extent, in curbing the nosebleeds as they help in constricting the blood vessels.
If blood loss continues with intensity for more than 10 minutes, or the individual endures shallow breathing, or has lost consciousness, it warrants immediate medical help.
How Can You Prevent Nosebleeds
Here are some ways that you may use to avert the possibilities of a nosebleed.
- Drying of mucous membrane can cause nosebleeds; hence, petroleum jelly should be applied to reduce the dryness. Applying petroleum jelly daily, twice a day, will keep you away from the problem of nosebleeds.
- Make sure that you drink plenty of water and keep yourself hydrated. Drinking water will keep your nasal membranes moist, thus preventing them from drying.
- Prevent the usage of medicines, such as decongestants and nasal sprays.
- Refrain from using strong perfumes which might cause irritation to the nose.
- Humidifiers keep the air in the room moist. Hence, usage of humidifiers is recommended.
- If you experience congestion in your nose, do not blow your nose forcefully. Instead, you can opt for warm water shower, which will help in loosening the congestion.
- Nosebleeds and headaches, both in combination, are signs of high blood pressure. Nosebleeds due to high blood pressure should be stubbed as soon as possible, in order to avoid further complications.
- This combined condition is also a sign of anemia. A complete check up should be done in order to know if a person is suffering from anemia or high blood pressure.
- If the blood pressure and other test results are normal, it indicates that the person is not suffering from severe nosebleed.
- A common cause of nosebleed is a blow to the head. A blow to the head can cause the large blood vessels present at the back of the nose to sustain damage. This is referred to as posterior nosebleed, which is common among the elderly people and those suffering from high blood pressure. In such cases, nosebleeds are accompanied with headaches.
- Many a time, dryness of the mucous membrane that lines the nose can also cause nosebleeds and headaches. The drying of the mucous membrane causes cracking and bleeding, which may also cause discomfort and nasal irritation.
- Though sinus infection does not cause nosebleeds, it is one of the common causes due to the overuse of decongestants, such as nasal sprays.