Have you noticed spots of blood on the tissue when you blow your nose? Are you worried about potentially serious health implications and wondering if you should seek immediate medical attention?
What you're seeing is common and rarely indicates anything serious. In this guide, we'll show you why, as we investigate why your nose bleeds when you blow it.
Does Blowing Your Nose Cause Nosebleeds?
Whether you're dealing with a runny nose, flu, cold, or COVID-19, if you're blowing your nose regularly and with great force, you run the risk of nosebleeds.
Some individuals are more susceptible to these than others, so don't assume that there's something wrong with you just because you see a little blood when you blow and your friend or family member doesn't.
Nose bleeding is caused by fine blood vessels that cover the lower part of your nasal septum, the cartilage that separates your nostrils. These blood vessels are relatively weak and unprotected, and so it doesn't take much for them to break. When that happens, the blood will flow.
Most nosebleeds are caused by nose picking, but any time you damage the blood vessels there is a chance of bleeding.
If you're constantly sneezing and blowing your nose, all while dealing with an irritating infection, you're placing those blood vessels under a lot of stress.
Add the occasional wandering index finger to the mix and you're asking for a nosebleed!
Why Do I Have Blood in my Snot?
Some nosebleeds are heavier than others. Most of the time, there will be just a few drops. It's barely enough to fill a teaspoon, but it's enough to cause a leak and for that blood to find its way out of your nose or down your throat (always lean forward to encourage the blood to flow out and not in).
If it's minor, there won't be enough blood to pour outward but there might be enough to leave a dab on the tissue or to color your snot.
It could also indicate a problem further in, as your sinuses may be aggravated by dust, pollen, and bacteria, and this could be coloring your mucus.
If you notice a lot of blood, it suggests that there could be something more serious happening.
It might be that the blood is coming from the blood vessels in the back part of your nose. This is known as a posterior nosebleed and it's usually heavier and more serious. It could occur if you suffer from a blood clotting disorder, bleeding disorder, or are using blood thinning medications.
With posterior nosebleeds, you need to be more careful and should seek medical attention.
How to Stop Breaking Blood Vessels When Blowing Your Nose
Assuming you don't have any blood disorders and are not taking blood thinning medications, the nosebleeds that result from blowing your nose should be harmless and will pass within a few minutes.
To hasten the blood clotting, simply use your thumb and index finger to pinch your nose and then hold for 5 to 10 minutes while sitting down and leaning forward. It's more of a nuisance than anything else, and it's important not to stop blowing your nose just because you're worried about a few spots of blood.
Just try to blow lightly in the future or use a saline spray to clean your nose instead.
Is it Bad if there is Blood in your Snot?
It's certainly not a good thing, as there are no benefits to having blood in your snot, or anywhere else that's not in your body. But is it a bad thing? Not really.
Think of it like a mysterious bruise that you find on your leg when you wake up in the morning. It's not a good thing, but there's a high chance that you just knocked your leg on the corner of the bed or the side of the door when you were scrambling for the toilet in the middle of the night. Alternatively, maybe you bumped into a piece of furniture the previous day.
There is a small probability that it's a serious blood disorder that requires immediate attention, but you have the laws of probability on your side and because it's just a bruise, you don't think anything of it.
It's a similar story with nosebleeds. The vast majority are completely harmless and may be caused by things that we don't even realize we're doing, from nose picking to heavy nose blowing. But because it involves blood leaking from the face, we panic and think the worst.
If it's happening a lot, you should tell your doctor; if you're losing a lot of blood, seek medical attention. But generally, it's not a major concern.
