Health
Ask a doctor: 'Why am I getting nosebleeds and how can I stop them?'
Having a nosebleed can be a startling and somewhat scary experience, but medical experts say the condition is generally not serious.
“Nosebleeds are quite common, and over half of the population will experience them at some point,” David A. Gudis, M.D., chief of rhinology and anterior skull base surgery at Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York City, told Fox News Digital.
“Most nosebleeds are not major medical emergencies, but they can be alarming and occasionally quite dangerous.”
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Here’s what to know.
What causes nosebleeds?
The lining of the nasal cavity (the “mucosa”) has a very robust blood supply, and various causes can lead to bleeding from this area, according to Gudis.
Having a nosebleed can be startling and somewhat scary, but medical experts say the condition is generally not serious. (iStock)
“In children, the front of the nasal cavity is susceptible to irritation from doing what everybody does – nose-picking,” he said.
In adults, this area of the nose can become dry, resulting in a thinning of the mucosa over these blood vessels.
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Another cause, Gudis said, could be a deviated septum, which is when the wall that separates the left and right sides of the nose is off-center or crooked.
This “can cause the airflow in the nose to be more turbulent, which can further dry out the front of the nose,” the doctor said.
“Nosebleeds are quite common, and over half of the population will experience them at some point,” a doctor said. (iStock)
Trauma or injury to the nose — such as getting hit in the face with a ball or being involved in an accident of some type — can also result in nosebleeds, he added.
Medical issues are another potential trigger.
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“These may include uncontrolled hypertension (high blood pressure), anticoagulant medication (blood thinners) and bleeding/clotting disorders,” Gudis told Fox News Digital.
Beyond these reasons, a person’s environment may be the culprit.
“In children, the front of the nasal cavity is susceptible to irritation from doing what everybody does – nose-picking,” a doctor said. (iStock)
One common cause of nosebleeds is dry indoor air, said Natasha Bhuyan, M.D., a family physician with One Medical in Phoenix, Arizona.
“We tend to see this the most in the wintertime,” she told Fox News Digital.
One way to prevent this is to use a humidifier.
“Most nosebleeds are not major medical emergencies, but they can be alarming and occasionally dangerous.”
In terms of overall prevention, it’s best to stay hydrated and keep the nasal passage moist, experts advise.
“Also, avoid picking inside your nose — and, of course, people should avoid smoking tobacco,” added Bhuyan.
How to stop a nosebleed
“Holding pressure” is a simple and very effective solution to most nosebleeds, according to Gudis.
“The key is to hold pressure where the nose becomes soft, to pinch it closed,” he said.
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In many cases, individuals don’t know the best protocol to stop a nosebleed.
“Many people are erroneously instructed to pinch the ‘bridge’ of the nose — but squeezing the hard nasal bones does not transmit pressure to the actual source of bleeding,” Gudis noted.
When to seek medical care
If the bleeding is persistent, heavy and doesn’t stop — or if you start to have other symptoms, such as lightheadedness or nausea — it’s best to seek medical attention right away, advised Gudis.
If the bleeding is persistent, heavy and doesn’t stop — or if you start to have other symptoms, such as lightheadedness or nausea — it’s best to seek medical attention right away, experts advise. (iStock)
If nosebleeds occur frequently or take a long time to stop, don’t hesitate to seek medical care with an otolaryngologist (an ear, nose and throat specialist), he said.
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“In the office, we can use small nasal endoscopes to identify the source of bleeding,” Gudis told Fox News Digital.
In some cases, he said, patients require surgery to cauterize the blood supply to certain parts of the nose.
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As colorectal cancer (CRC) is now the leading cause of cancer death in adults under 50, a new report reveals some surprising shifts in the incidence of the disease.
Although rates of CRC have been declining among seniors, those 65 and under are facing a rise in diagnoses, according to a report titled Colorectal Cancer Statistics, 2026, from the American Cancer Society.
Adults 65 and younger comprise nearly half (45%) of all new colorectal cancer cases — a significant increase from 27% in 1995, states the report, which was published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.
The disease is rising fastest among adults 20 to 49 years old, at a rate of 3% per year.
Colorectal cancer is now the leading cause of cancer death in adults under 50. (iStock)
Among adults 50 and under, 75% of colorectal cancers are diagnosed at an advanced stage. Half of the diagnoses in that age range are made between the ages of 45 and 49. Although that age group is eligible to receive routine screenings, just 37% do so.
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The report also revealed that rectal cancer is on the rise, now accounting for about one-third (32%) of all CRC cases — an increase from 27% in the mid-2000s.
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“After decades of progress, the risk of dying from colorectal cancer is climbing in younger generations of men and women, confirming a real uptick in disease because of something we’re doing or some other exposure,” said Rebecca Siegel, senior scientific director, surveillance research at the American Cancer Society and lead author of the report, in a press release.
Among adults 50 and under, 75% of colorectal cancers are diagnosed at an advanced stage. Half of the diagnoses in that age range are made between the ages of 45 and 49. (iStock)
“We need to redouble research efforts to understand the cause, but also circumvent deaths through earlier detection by educating clinicians and the general public about symptoms and increasing screening in people 45-54 years.”
It is projected that 158,850 new cases of colorectal cancer will be diagnosed this year, and that the disease will cause 55,230 deaths, per the report.
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More than half of CRC cases can be linked to high-risk behaviors, the researchers said. Those include lack of nutrition, high alcohol consumption, smoking, lack of exercise and obesity.
“These findings further underscore that colorectal cancer is worsening among younger generations and highlight the immediate need for eligible adults to begin screening at the recommended age of 45,” said Dr. William Dahut, chief scientific officer at the American Cancer Society.
When the disease is caught at a local (early) stage, the five-year survival rate is 95%. (iStock)
“The report also shines a light on the crucial importance of continued funding for research to help discover new therapies to treat the disease and advance patient care.”
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When the disease is caught at a local (early) stage, the five-year survival rate is 95%, the report stated.
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A new study suggests that middle-aged men may be more vulnerable to faster biological aging, potentially linked to exposure to “forever chemicals.”
The research, published in the journal Frontiers in Aging, examined how perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, more commonly known as PFAS, could impact aging at the cellular level.
PFAS are synthetic chemicals commonly used in nonstick cookware, food packaging, water-resistant fabrics and other consumer products, the study noted.
Their chemical structure makes them highly resistant to breaking down, allowing them to accumulate in water, soil and the human body.
Chinese researchers analyzed blood samples from 326 adults enrolled in the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 1999 and 2000.
A new study suggests that middle-aged men could face accelerated biological aging at the cellular level due to exposure to PFAS. (iStock)
The researchers measured levels of 11 PFAS compounds in participants’ blood and used DNA-based “epigenetic clocks” — tools that analyze chemical changes to DNA to estimate biological age — to determine how quickly their bodies were aging at the cellular level, the study stated.
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Two compounds, perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) and perfluorooctanesulfonamide (PFOSA), were detected in 95% of participants.
Higher concentrations of those chemicals were associated with faster biological aging in men of certain age groups, but not in women.
“People should not panic.”
The compounds most strongly linked to accelerated aging were not the PFAS chemicals that typically receive the most public attention, the researchers noted.
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“The associations were strongest in adults aged 50 to 64, particularly in men,” Dr. Xiangwei Li, professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine and the study’s corresponding author, told Fox News Digital.
“While this does not establish that PFAS cause aging, it suggests that these widely present ‘forever chemicals’ may be linked to molecular changes related to long-term health and aging.”
The study found that two of the compounds were detected in 95% of participants, and higher levels were linked to faster biological aging in men ages 50–64. (iStock)
Midlife may represent a more sensitive biological period, when the body becomes more vulnerable to age-related stressors, according to the researchers.
Lifestyle factors, such as smoking, may influence biological aging markers, potentially increasing vulnerability to environmental pollutants.
While Li said “people should not panic,” she does recommend looking for reasonable ways to reduce exposure.
That might mean checking local drinking water reports, using certified water filters designed to reduce PFAS, and limiting the use of stain- or grease-resistant products when alternatives are available.
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Meaningful reductions in PFAS exposure will likely depend on broader regulatory action and environmental cleanup efforts, Li added.
The researchers noted that midlife could be a particularly sensitive stage, when the body is more susceptible to stressors associated with aging. (iStock)
Study limitations
The researchers outlined several important limitations of the research, including that the findings show an association, but do not prove that PFAS directly causes accelerated aging.
“The study is cross-sectional, meaning exposure and aging markers were measured at the same time, so we cannot determine causality,” Li told Fox News Digital.
The study was also relatively small, limited to 326 adults age 50 or older, which means the findings may not apply to younger people or broader populations.
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Researchers measured PFAS levels using data collected between 1999 and 2000, and today’s exposure patterns may differ.
Li added that while PFAS is known to persist in the environment and the body, these results should be validated through larger, more recent studies that follow participants over time.
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