I had chronic nosebleeds as a kid, but that stopped around age 10, and has not been an issue until just this winter. Probably due to a combination of COVID-related drainage and dry air, I've been battling an on-and-off nosebleed for several weeks now.

See an ENT they will scope it like SigMonkey said. No nosebleeds or Chapstick needed in the Deep South. Threw away the Humidifier. Wear a mask when outside. haha It will help with moisture if that is the problem. You take asprin or blood thinners?? That could be a factor as well.

Mark, do you have a humidity gauge in your room? They're relatively cheap on amazon. I got mine for $10 for two. Link

They say 50% is ideal but I settle for about 45%. 42% is my lower limit. When we moved to Arizona, I was surprised to feel cold inside the house at 74 degrees farenheit. Then I learned how lack of humidity causes you to give up your body moisture through evaporation and it makes you feel cold. It took several days of running the humidifier to get the humidity above 37%.

In any case, the humidity gauge will let you know if you have sufficient humidity.

quote:

Originally posted by 6guns:

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
Having a humidifier just in one room is not enough. You need to get a whole-house humidifier on your furnace if it’s a forced air type or get enough around the house to keep the entire house at a decent humidity level which should be 40-50% in the winter. The air here in PA gets so incredibly dry in the winter, I recall seeing the humidity gauge at my old house that didn’t have the whole-house humidifier in the single digits when getting up in the morning.

I agree with this. Get a humidity gauge and see what your house relative humidity is. I try to keep mine at 50%, but in these especially cold outside temps, it's hard to do. I run a whole house humidifier and a mister in the bedroom.

Even though it might not be the answer, or all of it, I agree with this, too. I had new furnace installed a few months ago. Included was humidifier that I was a bit reluctant about; didn't think I needed it. I am absolutely sold on it now. The difference from before with regard to dry skin and dry nasal passages is very noticeable. If you go to a doctor and nothing obvious is found, this could make sense. Think of how much time you spend in other parts of your house; if it's too dry there, the bedroom humidifier might not be enough.

Saline spray is what I use.

quote:

Originally posted by rat2306:
A nasal saline rinse, or spray helps, and they make saline gels (Rhinase is one, Ayr gel is another that I know of).

quote:

Originally posted by Voshterkoff:
Saline spray is what I use.

BINGO!
The Arm & hammer Saline Spray along with some Saline Gels like that from Rhinase and Ayr will keep your nostrils moist and prevent nosebleeds. I use a q-tip to apply the Rhinase and like the pump applicator on the Ayr.



I routinely see humidity levels under 20% during the winter in my house. While I use the humidifier function on my CPAP, the above products do the trick in keeping my nasal passages healthy and moist.

As an aside the tri-level house is all electric with huge wide open spaces not conducive to multiple humidifiers.

Mark, are you doing a farmer's blow??

I assume you know what that is. Blowing your nose too vigorously can cause bleeding issues.

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:
Mark, are you doing a farmer's blow??

I assume you know what that is. Blowing your nose too vigorously can cause bleeding issues.

Sometimes I get a little vigorous but usually just a light puff and the blood starts flowing. Except for once or twice, I’ve never had a problem in the other seasons.

I got them violently for a while. Like gushing like a stuck animal. Doc told me saline nose spray to keep it lubed and 2x a day Neosporin on a q tip and stick up there and apply to the bloody nostril. Went away in a few days.

quote:

Sometimes I get a little vigorous but usually just a light puff and the blood starts flowing. Except for once or twice, I’ve never had a problem in the other seasons.

^^^^^^^^^^
Ok try what Bald suggested. If not see an ENT. They can scope and cauterize if needed.

I have to have humidifiers running in the bedroom and living room. But I also need to keep Vitamin C and Zinc levels high enough (C every day, Zinc every 2nd to 3rd day).

If I don’t have all 3 in balance, bloody noses ensue.

I had chronic nose bleeds until I stopped taking a daily baby aspirin.

Forget the bandaids. Raise the humidity.

We’ve noticed that the humidifier doesn’t seem to work as well with distilled water. The filter lasts a lot longer as it doesn’t get clogged with minerals but the air still feels dry.

So far the neosporin on a Qtip and zinc seems to be helping.

My wife had a bad nosebleed about a month ago. Middle of the night and it was a doozy. Got it stopped once then it started again. Off to the ER.

Nurse told her to sit, lean forward and pinch close to the nostrils. Hold for 15 minutes. Then blow it gently and snort a little Afrin to constrict the blood vessels. If it starts to bleed then do the 15 minute drill again. Problem solved.

It happened again about two weeks later and she went to an ENT guy. He cauterized one nostril and suggested she coat it with vaseline before bed.

We also bought a bedroom vaporizer after checking the humidity and finding it was about 20%.

So far so good, we’ll see. Btw, the ENT says “tis the season” for nosebleeds.

Mark thought of another issue. If you are using nasal spray ie Flonase be sure you are spraying away from the septum. You tube has videos of proper usage.

quote:

Originally posted by 6guns:
Forget the bandaids. Raise the humidity.

Bingo

You can recommend all the sprays and lotions forever but until you fix the ROOT CAUSE (dry ass winter air) you will never resolve it.

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:
Mark thought of another issue. If you are using nasal spray ie Flonase be sure you are spraying away from the septum. You tube has videos of proper usage.

Sometimes in the fall I'll use flonase. It's unnecessary in the winter.
Some have mentioned Neilmed and I do use the netipot but usually only in the hot, dry and dusty days when I'm mowing or picking up leaves.

quote:

Originally posted by Powers77:
I find the Neilmed type rinsing to be very helpful for both allergies and overall sinus functionality.

this,


humidifier too,



and, the way I stopped nosebleeds was to go see a ENT and got both sides cauterized,

not at the same time,

rerely get a bleed now

quote:

Originally posted by Rey HRH:
Mark, do you have a humidity gauge in your room?

Aka: "Hygrometer"

quote:

Originally posted by Rey HRH:
They say 50% is ideal but I settle for about 45%. 42% is my lower limit.

Maximum indoor relative humidity is dependent upon outside temperature. The reason why is that, as outdoor temperatures fall, outdoor-facing barriers (windows, doors, walls, ceilings) cool. They can, and will, cool to the point attempts to pump more humidity into the home simply results in it condensing on those surfaces.

This can result in damage--particularly if there are warm air bypasses to an attic or between the walls.

I think this chart came with our Honeywell automatic humidistat:



I found all this out after years of trying to keep in the indoor RH up to 45% or better, regardless of outdoor temperature, resulted in condensation on the ceilings adjacent to the exterior walls in the north and west corner of the home. I had initially thought it was water from ice dams on the roof--it was that much water.

The ceilings weren't damaged, but they did have to be re-painted.

Lacking an automatic humidistat like we have, one easy way to determine if you're reaching the limit of how much humidity you can pump into the interior is to look for signs of condensation around the edges of windows. (Assuming double-glazed that are actually still working.) When you start seeing that you've probably pretty much hit the limit and it's time to start backing the humidistat down.

I got tired of riding the humidistat every time the highs and lows swung wildly, as will happen in Michigan. Thus the Honeywell automatic humidistat.

Btw: I've tried bumping the automatic humidistat to get more humidity than the chart recommends. As soon as I start exceeding its recommendations by 5%, at the colder outdoor temperatures (under 15°F or so), I start seeing condensation along the bottoms of windows.