Causes of nose bleeds can be divided into three categories, local, systemic, and idiopathic (unknown).

Nosebleeds, also known as epistaxis, are common issues that usually resolve on their own or are easily treated in a medical environment.

While it may reduce the amount of blood that comes out of your nose, tilting your head back allows the blood to run down the back of your throat.

Sit and lean forward (this will ensure that blood and other secretions do not go down your throat). Breathe through your mouth. Hold this position for 5 minutes.

Anterior nosebleeds originate toward the front of the nose and cause blood to flow out through the nostrils. This is the most common type of nosebleed and it is usually not serious.

Upper Respiratory Infection (URI or Common Cold)

Swallowed blood can irritate your stomach and cause vomiting. And vomiting may make the bleeding worse or cause it to start again. Spit out any blood that gathers in your mouth and throat rather than swallowing it.

What causes nosebleeds? Two of the most common causes of nosebleeds are dryness (often caused by indoor heat in the winter) and nose picking. These 2 things work together — nose picking occurs more often when mucus in the nose is dry and crusty. Colds also can cause nosebleeds.

Hypovolemia: Abnormal decrease in the volume of blood plasma. Hypovolemia occurs with dehydration or bleeding.

Pinch with enough pressure to press both sides of your nose firmly against the septum—the cartilage in the middle of your nose. The tissue on either side of the nose puts pressure on the bleeding blood vessel, which is usually on the septum. If the bleeding slows or stops, you are pinching in the right place.

In addition to sitting up straight if you have a nosebleed, you should also tilt your head forward. “This keeps the blood from draining down the back of your throat,” explains WebMD. Mayo Clinic says, “By remaining upright, you can reduce blood pressure in the veins of your nose.

THE FACTS Most people know the right way to stop a nosebleed: lean the head back and apply pressure to the nose. But medical experts say that what most people know about nosebleeds is wrong. Tilting the head back, a technique widely considered proper first aid, can create complications by allowing blood into the esophagus.

Epistaxis — The medical term for nosebleed. Kiesselbach’s plexus — An area on the anterior part of the nasal septum that has a rich supply of blood vessels and is a common site of nosebleeds. It is named for Wilhelm Kiesselbach, a nineteenth-century German otolaryngologist. Septum — The partition that separates the two nostrils.

While doing that may reduce the amount of visible blood coming out of your nostrils, tilting your head back allows the blood to run down the back of your throat instead of out of your nose, and complications can arise from having blood running down the back of your throat, including: Coughing. Choking. Vomiting if blood enters the stomach.