Nosebleeds after flights

Hiya this is Maz8%26#39;s daughter Nik(16)

When flying i suffer from quite major Nosebleeds which last for the first few days of my holiday. They slowly become less regular and smaller, but (especially the first day) i sometimes get them 10 minutes after each other. Its really anoying and we cant do a lot our first few days and it means constant trips to the Loo!! Any ideas//advice would be much appreciated =]

Thanks

Nik x

Nosebleeds after flights

Have you spoken to your Dr for advice? I%26#39;d imagine at least part of it is from the extreme dryness on the plane. Maybe steamy showers a few days before you leave and especially when you get there would help. Don%26#39;t know how you try to stop your nosebleeds but tipping your head back doesn%26#39;t help! Just runs blood down your throat. What used to work extremely well for me was to put something cool/cold across the back of my neck, whether it%26#39;s some ice or the handle of a table knife. It%26#39;ll stop it very quickly.

Nosebleeds after flights

One of the most common causes of nosebleeds are dryness (often caused by indoor heat in the winter for example). If you can find any common thread there, you%26#39;ll need to see if there is a way to humidify the air around you on the aircraft.

It is not actually the pressure changes on an aircraft that are likely to cause the nosebleed, but rather the dryness of the air (the cabin is air-conditioned). You could therefore perhaps consider asking for a hot wet cloth periodically to breathe through.

Incidentally, one of the other most common causes is nose-picking, but I%26#39;m not going there.

my friend is an airhostess and she used to suffer from nosebleeds. She puts a little vaseline on the inside of her nostrils when she is working now which she says helps prevent dryness. I%26#39;m sure you should be able to get a nasal spray from a chemist to keep your nose nice and moist on the flight.

Remember not to use to much vaseline though! Asphyxiation would have more of an impact on your holiday than nosebleeds.

Good thoughts from chinners and chantal. I will add that I had abit of a problem a few years ago and saw an ENT and he found that I had dryness and I started using a Nasal Spray 2x a day. It helped but didn%26#39;t stop the problem altogether. I went back to my ENT and he has since Cauterized several tiny blood vessals that were to close to the surface inside my nose. Problem Fixed ! I still use the Nasal Spray sometimes when I%26#39;m in AC for long periods of time.

Don%26#39;t think the bleeding we%26#39;re talking about is from nose picking. :)

I found online at ent-usa.com that vaseline should not be used because it%26#39;s petroleum-based and will dry, but that you should put KY Jelly about .5'; into the nose using a Q-tip and to step up the humidity in your surroundings (Chinners washcloth suggestion sounds good). It also says an antihistamine to shrink blood vessels may help depending on the source of the problem. Good luck!

A couple other side factors fo rthis issue....

Obviously blood thinning medications can complicate this but even without those ';over the counter'; aspirin can thin the blood. Also vitamin suppliments containing vitamin E in higher amounts can thin the blood and cause bleeding. Avoiding both before flying might help. Vitamin K assists in clotting and can reduce or prevent nosebleeds fro recurring. But as with any suppliments if there is any existing condition (or any type) check with doctor first.

The nasal moisturizing advice is also good. I%26#39;ve had good success with nasal gels (one marketed in U.S. udner the brand name Ayr comes to mind).

Hi, Nik -- ask at the chemist%26#39;s -- they might well have some sort of a non-petroleum product that will keep your sinuses hydrated. My husband has found great relief in just using a saline spray -- he had no nosebleeds at all on our flights to/from Europe this summer (9 hours each way)

the warm washcloth idea is brill, by the way -- I%26#39;m sure the cabin crew would be more than happy to warm it in the microwave for a seconds for you.

Make sure you are hydrated before you get on the plane, and take special care to drink water and juice whilst you%26#39;re in the air.