Why Do We Get Nosebleeds?

Squeaks and I got a chance to learn about something new yesterday. We were out in the 4th yard, when all of a sudden, I got a nosebleed! Squeaks was very worried at first, weren't you, buddy? But even though it might have looked a little scary when there was blood coming out of my nose, really, everything was okay. Nosebleeds are pretty normal, and they usually don't hurt. Once the nosebleed went away, Squeaks and I wanted to learn more about how and why they happened. It did turn into a pretty fun research project! But a lot of what we learned about had to do with blood, so if that type of thing bothers you, you can watch a different video instead of this one. Now Squeaks, do you remember the first question we started with? You asked it, and it was a great place to start! Right! The first question we had was how a nose can bleed in the first place. It turns out, our noses are filled with blood vessels, tubes like veins that bring blood from our hearts all around our bodies and then back to our hearts again. There are blood vessels pretty much everywhere in our bodies, but the ones in our nostrils are usually close to the surface. Oh, nostrils are these small holes in our nose. Since the blood vessels aren't very deep down, when something causes a scratch or a crack in our nostrils, it can open up one of those blood vessels. It does sound a little scary at first, but really, it's like getting a tiny cut inside your nose. Just like when someone gets a cut or scrape anywhere else, it bleeds. Do you remember what our second question was, Squeaks? We were wondering what can crack or scratch the inside of a nostril. Good memory, Squeaks! The most common cause is actually just air. Nostrils need to stay a bit wet inside to be healthy. Most air has a little bit of water in it, so as it goes in and out of our noses, it doesn't dry out our nostrils very much. But when the air around us is very dry, it can actually dry out our noses a little bit as we breathe. This happens more when it's very cold, windy, or dry outside. Exactly! It was cold and windy yesterday, and we were outside when the nosebleed happened, so that makes sense. For some people, when they breathe in dry air for a while, it can dry out the inside of their nose and make a tiny crack in one of those blood vessels, causing a nosebleed. Other things can scratch the inside of someone's nose, too. If something scratchy accidentally gets into your nostril, it can scratch open a blood vessel, too. Or maybe not so accidentally, because it can also happen if you pick your nose. That's one reason why it's a good idea to make sure nothing goes inside your nostrils. By the time we started learning about all of this, my nosebleed had already stopped, but Squeaks was wondering how I made it stop. I've had nosebleeds before, so I knew what to do. The first thing I made sure to do was stay calm, and I reminded myself that nosebleeds are pretty normal. Then I found a box of tissues and a quiet spot to sit. I leaned forward so that the blood could run out of my nose, and pinched my nose really hard right under the bony part, like this. This might look a little funny, but it helps the nosebleed stop quickly. As you pinch your nose, the blood vessels are working hard to cover themselves back up so the bleeding stops. While I sat there, I breathed through my mouth and relaxed while I waited for those blood vessels to do their job. I also held some tissues right under my nostrils to soak up any blood that came out. I made sure not to blow my nose into the tissues, though. That could make the blood vessels start bleeding again. After about 10 minutes, the blood vessels covered themselves back up and the nosebleeds stopped. Then I threw away the tissues and washed my hands and face with soap and water. And after that, I was all better! So Squeaks, once we learned how they worked and how to stop them, were they still scary? Oh, I'm glad! So if you ever get a nosebleed, now you'll know what's happening! Just tell a grown-up about it so they can help you stop the bleeding. And remember that lots of people get them! Do you have any questions about nosebleeds? Or other things about your body? Or anything at all? Have a grown-up help you leave a comment below, or send us your questions through our website at patreon.com slash scishowkids. Thanks and we'll see you next time here at the Fort!