If you’re suddenly experiencing nosebleeds, it might be because of the cooler, and drier, winter air. Nosebleeds are not unusual, especially in children under the age of ten and those over the age of fifty, especially when the air turns colder.
Colder air is drier than the moist air of summer and it can rob moisture from the inside of our noses. This is particularly true if you live a home with a forced air heating system in use. If your experiencing nosebleeds that you think are due to dry air, there are some steps that you can take to help prevent further nosebleeds.
Humidify the air: You can’t do much about the dry air outside, but you can help to humidify the air in your home through the use of humidifiers or vaporizers. These units release moist air into a room. If you don’t want to invest in a humidifier, just cutting off the heat in your bedroom at night can help give your nose a break from dry, heated air.
Moisturize your nose: No, we’re not talking about lotion here. But there are ways to help keep moisture in your nose, particularly saline spray and irrigation. Saline sprays are great for children because they’re relatively easy and painless to use while still providing extra moisture in the nose.
Nasal irrigation uses a netti pot or a specially designed squirt bottle to move a saline solution through the nose. This is a great and inexpensive option adults and older children. As an added bonus, nasal irrigation can help clean the nose of particles that can cause allergy symptoms and congestion. You can find both saline sprays and nasal irrigation systems at your local pharmacy.
Steam Up: Try to get into a more humid environment as much as you can during the colder months. This could mean a stop in your gym’s steam room or heading to an indoor pool. You can also make your own inexpensive steam room: heat a pot of water on the stove till its steaming, safely move it to a table, and cover your head with a towel while breathing in the moist air from the pot.
Drink lots of water: We need more water when we’re in dry climates, even if the air is cold.
Taking regular steps during the colder months of the year should help you ward off most nosebleeds due to dry air.
If you follow the above steps and are still getting recurrent nosebleeds, then you’ll need to consider other causes for your nosebleeds such as polyps, work place hazards such as dust or chemicals, or a chronic sinus infection. You may want seek the opinion of an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist if you are chronically plagued by nosebleeds.
The ENT doctors at Accent MD are here to provide quality medical services that meet your ENT needs. Contact our Gainesville office today if you need expert help with dry weather nosebleeds or any other issue in your ear, nose or throat.