Don't Leave Home Without It.A few days ago, we were talking about feeling uncool while exercising. In the comments section, reader "One Sweet Shannon" told a funny tale about being locked out of her car after a workout when she had major nosebleed--with nary a Kleenex to stem the tide.
Being an unmedicated allergy sufferer, and one who blows her nose
Then, in a Crazy Coincidence, one of my favorite health news blogs, Healthbolt, ran a post on nosebleeds! This made me realize that Cranky Fitness has never addressed this important health concern.
Since I don't really know much about May Day, except that it seems to involve Workers and Working, rather than Slackers and Slacking, I thought we could replace it with a different sort of celebration. So I'm going to officially declare May 1st "Nosebleed Day" at Cranky Fitness!
What fun we'll have. Aren't you all excited?
If I had the money to commission Official Nosebleed T-shirts, you can imagine how cute they'd be:
So, Aren't Nosebleeds Fun?
Anyone else get them? My personal triggers: high altitude, dry weather, frequent nose-blowing, and wearing a crisp clean light-colored shirt or sweater, especially if I've just paid a fortune to have it dry cleaned. Primary aggravator: fish oil capsules, which I suspect thin my blood--which is normally a good thing! But when my thin blood is pouring out of my nose and won't clot? Not so good.
In my twenties, I went to a Nose guy (he did Ears and Throats and Wallets too) and asked if there was anything he could do, since it was the same spot over and over that kept bursting. (Still is). I'd heard of people getting their leaky vessels cauterized, which, while sounding unpleasant, seemed a hopeful permanent solution.
Alas, he didn't think this was a good option. Instead he vacuumed out my nose with a teeny tiny vacuum (not a job I'd want, thank you very much) and he told me I should drink a glass of warm salt water every day. Um, through my nose.
I actually made it a couple of days, but, well, eventually I decided I'd rather just bleed.
Nosebleed Fun Facts!
(Some of these are from this handy nosebleed resource, and some are from Healthbolt.)
- A nosebleeds is also known as "Epistaxis," which sounds much more dignified, don't you think?
- If you get one, you should tip your head slightly forward, not back. Then you can pinch your nose closed for ten minutes (do remember to breathe through your mouth, however, or you'll have worse problems than a nosebleed). The "meaty party of your nose on the sides just below your bridge" is best. However, one Healthbolt commenter pointed out he got better results by allowing a little air to pass through, so that the blood is better able to clot. Sounds reasonable.
- See a doctor if the nosebleed is extremely heavy, if the bleeding will not stop after twenty minutes, if you have nosebleeds all the time, or if you've been bonked on the head and that's what's causing the nosebleed.
- Men get more nosebleeds than women.
- Doing cocaine is not a smart idea if you are prone to nosebleeds.
- Self-care prevention ideas include using a humidifier, sticking petroleum jelly up your nose, and using saline nasal spray or an antibiotic cream.
- If you have a nosebleed, you're supposed to avoid "vigorous exercise, nose blowing, hot, spicy foods, hot beverages, and any type of straining for a few days to prevent additional bleeding."
Anyone else get nosebleeds or have allergies or have anything interesting to report on, whether nose-related or not?
