Sitting in science class one afternoon, youfeel your nose begin to run. As you wonderif you're catching a cold, you swipe yournose with a tissue and are shocked to see blood! You have anosebleed, and if you're like most teens, you may beembarrassed. You might hope no one will notice, and you mightbe a little scared, too.

Although nosebleeds are usually harmless and easily controlled, itmay look like a quart of blood is coming from your nose! Try not toworry — nosebleeds are almost always easy to stop.

Stopping the Gush

Try these simple tips to stop your nosebleed:

• Get some tissues or a damp cloth to catch the blood.
• Sit or stand so your head is above your heart.
• Tilt your head forward and pinch the soft part of your nose(the nostrils) together just below the bony center part of yournose. Applying pressure helps stop the blood flow and thenosebleed will usually stop with 10 minutes of steady pressure— don't keep checking to see if the bleeding has stopped.

If you get a nosebleed, don't blow your nose. Doing so can causeadditional nosebleeds. Also, don't tilt your head back. Thiscommon practice will cause blood to run into your throat. This canmake you cough or choke, and if you swallow a lot of blood, youmight begin vomiting.

If you've tried the steps above twice and the bleeding continuesafter the second attempt, you'll need to see your school nurse ora doctor.

Once you've stopped the initial nosebleed, don't lift heavy objectsor do other activities that cause you to strain, and try not to blowyour nose for 24 hours.

Now that your nosebleed is over, let's take a look at what anosebleed is and what can cause it.

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