General Question

cage's avatar

Why does my nose bleed in the morning?

Asked by cage (3125points) June 22nd, 2008

In the morning I usually wake up and have to blow it. (It runs in the family) however, I also occasionally have blood that comes out, and more recently quite a lot. I have hayfever which I know will obviously effect it. But It doesn’t seem that normal to wake up, stick a tissue in your nose and have blood on it after.
By the way, I don’t do drugs, I don’t sniff anything, and I hardly ever drink, and when I do, it’s in moderation. any feedback is greatly appreciated.

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40 Answers

richardhenry's avatar

Are you using any nasal steroids for your hayfever? Perhaps you should see a doctor.

Response moderated
gailcalled's avatar

Is the air in your bedroom very dry? If so, that can dry out the mucus membranes inside nostrils. You might want to try a humidifier (but not when it’s 100 degrees in the shade and damp.) Or do you run an AC? That would exacerbate things.

Dog's avatar

if you are running an air conditioner it can irritate nasal passages. Air conditioners dry the air. As Gail suggests a humiifier might help.

Also folks with severe allergies might need to have surface vessels inside the nasal passages cotterized if bleeding is profuse and daily. If this is the case seek an ears,nose and throat specialist.

ninjaxmarc's avatar

they say you have lack of iron when that happens.

My bro still takes flinstone vitamins with iron just for this reason and he’s 19.

marinelife's avatar

If it is persistent the way that you describe, you need to get it checked out at least to ease your mind.

From medicine net:

“What precautions can you take to prevent nose bleeding?

The most common cause of a nose bleeds is drying of the nasal membranes. If you are prone to recurrent nosebleeds, it is often helpful to try lubricating the nose with an ointment of some type. This can be applied gently with a Q-tip or your fingertip up inside the nose, especially on the middle portion (the septum). Many patients use A & D ointment, Mentholatum, Polysporin/Neosporin ointment, or Vaseline. Saline mist nasal spray is often helpful (Ocean Spray).

When should you call your doctor or report to the emergency room?

* If bleeding cannot be stopped or keeps occurring.”

gailcalled's avatar

Nasal cauterization sounds like a plan, but ouch. I have had blood vessels cauterized during a D and C, but oddly, in that area, there is little sensation.

AstroChuck's avatar

I have the same problem. For some reason I wake up with a bloody finger too. Seriously, are you putting Vick’s in your nose? That will dry out your nasal membrane. Also, extensive use of nasal spray (such as Sinex or Afrin) can dry out the nose and lead to bleeding. I speak from experience.

Seesul's avatar

Ditto to the drying out theory. The only precaution that I was warned of from both my allergist and kitty’s vet was to be sure to air out the room thoroughly after using a humidifier, or you will have another problem-mold.

I had to humidify the kitty and my vet just had me fill the room with steam from the shower (with the window closed) and shut her in there for ten minutes, then air it out.

Vicks and Mentholatum both have ingredients, that, while they work for some people, can exacerbate the situation if allergic or sensitive to them. Some nasal sprays, such as Afrin, can rebound if used too frequently and also make the situation worse and rebound.

“The doctor said I wouldn’t have so many nose bleeds if I kept my finger outta there.” Ralph Wiggum

buster's avatar

I know someone whose nose bleed often. She finally went to the doctor when she was around 25 and they found crayons in her sinuses. When she was a little kid she would stick crayons up her nose and some of them stayed there. She had to have surgery to have them removed. Did you stick stuff up your nose as a child?

gailcalled's avatar

No, but my 4 year old great nephew had two trips to ER recently. The first was for a pea shoved up nose; several days later it was a purple crayon and the same Doctor on call. Doctor did expostulate; but I don’t think that the 4 year old listened carefully. His mother, however, really freaked out.

Seesul's avatar

@gail. tee shirt NOT to get your nephew. (View close up to read)

AstroChuck's avatar

Saline nose sprays, such as Ocean, can help keep the insides of the nose moist and does’nt lead to drying out, thus reducing bloody noses. If you need any other advice, just call my nurse and she’ll schedule an appointment.

Seesul's avatar

AC: your school nurse makes appointments? I thought she worked on a drop in, as needed basis.

cage's avatar

Cheers guys a lot of this stuff is useful. I’m finding it interesting you’re all saying its probably due to drying out. But surely with the fact I have to blow my nose in the morning due to a build up of mucus, indicates I must have a moist nose during the night? I also live in the English country-side, not exactly a desert out here. I dunno. But I’ll probably use the vaseline, since I have plenty of that.

also
@AstroChuck
I have a doctor.. although if the nurse you speak of is highly attractive, may I have her number anyway?

@ everyone who is liking the sticking-stuff-up-my-nose as-a-child theory
I wasn’t a stupid child. Although I did stick a lego coin up there once, it came out in my poop a few days later. YEAH thats right folks, I had to check (or at least my mum and dad did, good parents…)

nocountry2's avatar

ha ha, I ate a Lite-Brite once and bless my mom’s heart, she dissected my poops till she found it…

Seesul's avatar

@cage: but do you have heat on at night? Unless it is steam heat, that could be drying your nose out. Even though you have a clogged or runny nose, it could be draining during the night, causing the irritation. When that happens to me, my throat is raw in the morning.

Either that, or you are subconsciously still trying to get that Lego out of there. ;}
I don’t think putting stuff up one;s nose is necessarily the sign of a stupid child. Quite the contrary, it shows curiosity and exploration, a good thing.

marinelife's avatar

@Seesul That t-shirt was hilarious!

AstroChuck's avatar

Okay. I am the nurse, too. But I must admit I do look cute in my candy stripers outfit.

marinelife's avatar

@AC Shudder! Mental picture I don’t want to have! :)

gailcalled's avatar

Seesul; Adult XXL is the only size left in the t-shirt. Pity – I was going to send one to my great-nephew.

Seesul's avatar

There’s something about being a mother (or dad) makes one do amazing things for their offspring. My son once threw his orthodontic appliance in the school garbage on hot lunch day and I went through every single bag until I found it, just so the the doc wouldn’t get upset with him. It was in the LAST can.

And once again, AC has come through and given us all a fetching picture of himself in one of his many roles. Oh if only I had the time to photoshop the image. On second thought, the mental picture leaves much more to the

@ gail: same dilemma that I had with that bug suit you picked out for me for the wedding. Guess we will both have to be disappointed.
.

gailcalled's avatar

@Seesul: I had forgotten the bug suit, but I still laugh when I think about it. Maybe Milo would like mine (I have only the top half.) Or AC.

@cage; lest you think that we have forgotten you, a simple trick is to buy a little rubber syringe; fill it w. a solution of warm salt water (proportions are I C. warm water to 1 t. salt) and squirt gently up each nostril. Lean over sink or try in shower. “Gently” is the key word.

cage's avatar

@gailcalled
hmmmm, interesting. Might give this a go for the laugh too.

@Seesul
We don’t keep the heat on in our house when we sleep – waste of energy as we’re not consciously feeling it. :)

scamp's avatar

@buster Your avie makes you look like you are dealing with a bloddy nose! Sorry, I just couldn’t resist! ha ha!

girlofscience's avatar

Too much scottie the night before, heyoooo!

allengreen's avatar

cheap coke?

deaddolly's avatar

Dry air and allergy meds are the culprit. Try a humidifier in your bedroom at night, or at the very least a large bowl of water.

Ort's avatar

I did the tiny Lego up the nose thing as a kid and then had bloody noses off and on until I was a teenager. They would just start at times for no noticeable reason. Once though, I told my grandmother and she said she got bloody noses, too. She gave me some stinky pink cream in a little jar to put up my nose to stop the nosebleeds and it worked! I kept the stuff around for years but it worked so well that it pretty much stopped my nosebleeds. That was around the same time as I hit puberty though, too, so I was never quite sure if that played a role. No clue what that stuff was- something from her doctor. I can still recall the strange chemical scent mixed with roses and vanilla.

As far as blowing your nose and clearing out your sinuses, try a neti pot funniest thing ever but works great!

gailcalled's avatar

Warning; if you have narrow Eustachean tubes, the pressure from stream of liquid poured from the neti pot can cause serious and enduring pain. There are warnings to this effect in very small print on the package.

Ort's avatar

Wow. How would someone know if they had small eustachean tubes? Is that something a doctor would usually tell you as a child or would come up in other ways?

gailcalled's avatar

We discovered that fascinating tidbit after the fact by using the Neti pot and then suffering really bad pain in the ears and sinuses for several hours. It is the opposite sensation to the headache caused by eating ice cream too fast. Luckily, we suffered no permanent damage.

A better and safer solution is a baby’s ear or nose syringe. You can make a mild saline solution (1 t salt to 8 oz.warm water,) lean over sink and squirt the warm fluid, gently, into an ear. Don’t use more than 2–4 squirts.

girlofscience's avatar

How did allengreen’s answer get 2 “great answer“s and mine get none? I was the first to make that implication, and my way of stating it was funnier!

desiree333's avatar

its probably just dry air thats making your nose bleed. I recommend buying a humidifier to help distribiute some moisture into the air in your home. When the air is dry in my house when I wake up my nose is really dry and I feel like I have a cold.

oasis's avatar

Do you sleep in a tower block?it could be pressure caused be height.

Raggedy_Ann's avatar

I agree with the posts regarding dry air. My 9 year old son suffers from nose bleeds, more so when he was younger, but the doctor told us it could be just to much dry air. As he’s gotten older they seem to not come as often.

juwhite1's avatar

How’s your blood pressure? When we sleep, our blood pressure drops, but when we get up, it has to spike a bit to keep the blood in our brains. I wonder if that spike in blood pressure before getting to your normal level can be causing the nose bleeds? I’m not clear on how much blood we are talking about though… just a little blood in your mucous, or an actual bloody nose.

KaysinRain's avatar

i think that juwhite1 is right about the blood pressure being at rest when sleeping and then spiking when we wake up, i think me and you have the same thing going on dude cause i have hayfever as well and it runs through my dads side of the family, i came on here at 6:10 am because my nose started bleeding again as soon as i woke up, its been happening for 4 days in a row now and i was starting to worry, i finally decided to check out what was going on, im 18yr old btw. Stay in touch and let me know what u think. My gf thinks its my blood pressure, i bet shes right cause i know its not an effect dry air, my nose only bleeds for like 1 minute be for stopping, i think that it stops as soon as my blood pressure has dropped back to normal, Hope ya get back to me on this cause i need help too lol.

jano123's avatar

i have recently had a bout of flu and still have no sense of smell or taste and when i blow my nose on a morning there is black blood there.

Pied_Pfeffer's avatar

If Holmfirth is anything like Lancashire, it is cold and wet for most of the year. Running the heat dries out the lining of your inner nose, exposing vessels that can break and thus bleed. Turning down the heat and/or using a recommended spray solution to keep your nose moisturized should help. If all else fails, consult your physician. They may encourage a cauterization.

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