Nosebleeds and Stress

When blood flows out from inside the nose suddenly we call it nosebleed. There are several tiny blood vessels under the lining of wall of the nose. If the delicate nasal membranes get cracked due to some reasons, then it results in bleeding from the nose. The medical term for nosebleed is epistaxis. There are two different kinds of nosebleed. One is anterior nosebleed where the bleeding occur from the blood vessels that lie in the lower septum of the nostrils. The other one is posterior nosebleed where bleeding occur Therefore, the second type of nosebleed happens to be more serious. Nosebleeds can happen to people of all age groups including small children.

Causes of Nose Bleeding
Bleeding from nose in small children is mostly a case of anterior nosebleed. That does not mean adults do not get anterior nosebleed. A few minor issues that causes anterior nosebleeds are:

• Injury due to a direct blow to the nose or face.
• Scratching of the nose walls with finger nails.
• Blowing a blocked nose too hard.
• Dryness of the nasal membranes high temperature and low humidity.
• Change in atmospheric pressure due to high altitude.
• Sinus inflammation due to upper respiratory infection or allergies.

Nosebleed is such a common occurrence that most of the time we do not take it seriously. However, there are some serious causes of nosebleeds as well. In such cases, posterior nosebleeds occur more frequently. Here are a few serious causes:

• Hypertension or high blood pressure
• Growth of tumor in the nasal cavity.
• Side effects of medicines
• Exposure to harsh chemicals
• Use of narcotic drugs.

How are Nosebleeds and Stress Related?
Stress is not one of the recognizable causes of nose bleeding. However, it play a major role in triggering a nosebleed. In the previous section of this article, we have mentioned about the relationship between high blood pressure and nosebleeds. Now, hypertension alone is not responsible for this kind of nosebleed. Actually, nosebleeds occur only when excessive mental stress accompanies high blood pressure.

Mental stress gives us a lot of unpleasant emotions like anxiety, fear, sadness, etc. The damaging effect of stress is not just confined to emotional health but it is equally harmful for the physical health as well. When you are mentally stressed out, your brain react in a certain manner to bring about some changes in the functioning of the body in an effort to cope up with the increased stress level. One such changes which is observed in this condition is increase in blood circulation. As a result, the pressure within the blood vessels also increases. This leads to high blood pressure.

When you are under too much of stress for a prolonged period of time, the blood pressure continues to rise abnormally. As a result, there is an excessive pressure build up within the blood vessels. At one point of time, the arteries cannot bear this high amount of pressure anymore and they tend to get ruptured. In case, the delicate arteries that are present in the upper part of the nasal cavity, suffer this kind of damage due to rise in blood pressure, then nosebleeds occur. These arteries at the back of the nose are responsible for supplying blood to the entire nasal cavity. Therefore, when they rupture, then obviously, it results in profuse bleeding. The worst part of stress induced nose bleeding is that it starts without any warning signs.

How to Stop Nosebleeds
When you have nosebleeds and you do not know the reason, then do not panic. Your first priority is to stop the bleeding as soon as possible. Sit straight and bend your head forward and allow the blood to flow out of the nose. Do not tilt your head backward in order to prevent draining of the blood into throat which can cause choking. Next, apply pressure on the nostrils by placing your thumb and index finger on the bridge of the nose. Continue to hold the nose with your fingers like this for the next 10-15 minutes. Inhale and exhale through the mouth. This way you can facilitate clotting up of the blood and stop bleeding. Then start applying an ice pack to speed up clotting of blood. These steps should stop the bleeding within 20 minutes. If it does not, then seek for emergency medical intervention. If you have a medical history of high blood pressure, then also you must report about your nosebleeds to your doctor without any delay.

Hope this article helped you to understand the relation between nosebleeds and stress and its severity. Those of you who are diagnosed with high blood pressure should try to keep themselves stress free in order to prevent any such serious consequences.