Avoid choking if you have a nosebleed while sleeping

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was professionally consulted with Doctor Tran Quoc Tuan - Head of Resuscitation Unit - ICU - Emergency Resuscitation Department - Vinmec Phu Quoc International General Hospital.

1. Causes of nosebleeds while sleeping

Dry nasal passages: Mainly due to nutritional deficiencies (vitamin C deficiency) and dry air in the cold season. Dry nasal cavity makes the capillaries in the nose become more sensitive, vulnerable to minor impacts such as blowing the nose, rubbing the nose, prone to nosebleeds; Nose Picking Habit: The act of picking your nose can be done unconsciously during sleep. Nails can cause the capillaries in the nose to be strongly impacted and damaged, causing nosebleeds; Allergies: Causes sneezing, runny nose, watery eyes. When the nose is itchy, allergic, patients often have a habit of scratching or blowing their nose continuously, damaging the blood vessels causing nosebleeds. In addition, the use of steroid nasal sprays and medications used to treat allergy symptoms can also lead to a dry, vulnerable, bleeding nose; Respiratory tract infections: Sinusitis, colds, and other respiratory infections can damage the lining of the nose, causing nosebleeds. In addition, constantly blowing your nose when infected also causes nosebleeds. Other signs of a respiratory infection include: stuffy nose, sneezing, cough, sore throat, fever, chills, body aches.

2. How to prevent nosebleeds while sleeping

Measures to prevent nosebleeds during sleep depend on the cause of the nosebleed. Specifically:
Dry nasal passages: The way to prevent nosebleeds due to dry nasal passages is to keep the bedroom temperature moderate and use a nebulizer to humidify the air in winter to prevent the air from being too dry. In addition, should use physiological saline to clean and moisten the nose before sleeping. The method of using a cotton swab to apply a layer of moisturizer such as vaseline to the nasal passages also works to prevent dry nasal passages, reducing the risk of nosebleeds. At the same time, providing adequate nutrients in the diet also helps prevent nosebleeds while sleeping; Nose picking habits: It is advisable to prevent nosebleeds due to the habit of nose picking by regularly trimming nails, washing hands before going to bed and wearing soft gloves when going to bed; Allergies: Prevention of nosebleeds caused by allergies is to blow your nose gently to avoid injuring the blood vessels inside the nose, use a tissue containing moisturizer to blow your nose, consult your doctor. doctor about using non-steroidal drugs and try to avoid allergens such as mold, pollen, animal dander,...; Respiratory tract infections: To prevent nosebleeds from infections, use saline nasal spray or hot steam to relieve congestion, drink plenty of water to loosen mucus, rest at place and use antibiotics to completely treat respiratory infections.

3. Measures to handle, avoid choking when having a nosebleed while sleeping

Have the patient sit or stand with the head tilted slightly forward to identify the side of the nose that is bleeding. Pay attention not to tilt the patient's head up because this will cause blood from the nose to flow down the throat, causing choking, nausea, difficulty breathing,...; Using a tissue or cloth, gently press the nostrils for 5 - 15 minutes. During this time, you can suck on an ice cube or apply a cold towel to the bridge of your nose to constrict blood vessels in the nose, helping to stop bleeding faster; After 15 minutes, remove the towel, check for bleeding or not. If the machine is still flowing, repeat the steps above. Then, if the bleeding stops, you can go back to sleep. Should keep your head high while sleeping and try not to move your head much, keep a comfortable sleeping position. The patient should lie on his side, maintain this sleeping position for 1 day to check for nosebleeds. If the blood is still flowing, sleeping on your side will limit blood pooling in the airways, causing choking or breathing difficulties. Patients can also apply vaseline or antibiotic ointment inside the nose with a cotton swab to moisten the wound, helping the wound to heal faster.

Patients should be taken to the doctor immediately if:
Nosebleeds are heavy or cannot be stopped within 30 minutes; Pale skin, fatigue and dizziness after nosebleeds; Nosebleeds after trauma or surgery; There are other accompanying symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath, fever, headache, urination, bloody stools; Nosebleeds that recur over and over again. Nosebleeds during sleep can usually stop on their own with proper first aid. In case the patient loses a lot of blood and cannot stop the bleeding, the family should quickly take the patient to a specialized medical facility for examination and timely treatment.

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