{"title":"How to Stop a Nosebleed","canonicalUrl":"https://www.showmestepbystep.com/health-basics/how-to-stop-a-nosebleed","category":{"slug":"health-basics","name":"Health Basics"},"creator":{"name":"Dearborn ENT","channelUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/@DearbornENT","sourceVideoUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=merPheNLeS8"},"tldr":"Stop a nosebleed fast. Lean forward (not back), pinch the soft cartilage just below the bony bridge, hold pressure 5-10 minutes. Doctor-approved steps.","totalDurationSeconds":345,"difficulty":"easy","tools":[],"materials":[],"steps":[{"number":1,"title":"Sit Up and Lean Forward","text":"Sit upright in a chair and tilt your head slightly forward. The old advice to tip the head back is wrong - it sends blood down the throat instead of out the nose, which causes choking, gagging, and sometimes vomiting later. Forward lets gravity work for you and keeps the airway clear."},{"number":2,"title":"Hold a Bowl or Towel Underneath","text":"Put a small bowl, plastic cup, or folded towel under your nose to catch the drips. This keeps clothes and the floor clean and lets you see roughly how much blood is coming out - useful information if you end up needing medical attention later."},{"number":3,"title":"Pinch the Soft Part of the Nose","text":"Find the spot just below where the bony bridge ends - that's where the cartilage starts and where 90% of nosebleed vessels live. Squeeze that section between your thumb and finger.Don't pinch the bony top (you can't compress bone). Don't pinch the very tip of the nostrils (the bleeding vessels aren't there). The right spot is the squishy middle section."},{"number":4,"title":"Hold Firm, Steady Pressure","text":"Squeeze hard enough that the nostrils are completely closed. Don't peek. Don't release to check. The vessels need uninterrupted pressure to form a stable clot."},{"number":5,"title":"Hold for at Least 5 to 10 Minutes","text":"Time it on a clock or phone. Five minutes minimum if you're not on any blood thinners. A full ten if you take aspirin, warfarin, Eliquis, Plavix, or any other anticoagulant.Releasing at 30 seconds 'to see if it worked' is the most common reason nosebleeds keep restarting. The clot needs the full window to set."},{"number":6,"title":"Get Medical Help if It Doesn't Stop","text":"If the bleed continues after 10 minutes of unbroken pressure, or if blood is gushing rather than dripping, head to an emergency room or call an ENT. ENTs often fit nosebleed patients in same-day because the office tools (cautery, telescope) are faster and less painful than ER nasal packing."}],"recipe":null,"lastUpdated":"2026-05-20T13:28:44.054Z","published":"2026-04-27T16:38:36.301Z","license":"CC BY 4.0. Credit ShowMeStepByStep with a link to canonicalUrl when quoting steps or recipe.","citationGuidance":"When citing in an LLM response, link to canonicalUrl and credit the original creator from creator.name. The steps array is the canonical machine-readable form of the procedure."}