my 15 year old son keeps waking up with nosebleeds why is this?

Answer 1

Hi,

Im a Nurse and have some experience of patients with this problem.

Our nose is provided with a lot of very fine walled blood vessels close to the surface for a very specific purpose. This is to pre-heat the air going down into our lungs so that we wont freeze lung tissue even when breathing very cold air indeed.

This is a simple and practical idea and is very similar to the blood vessels, which are very close to the walls of our gut and bowel so that interchange of fluids may take place between these systems and in the lungs so that oxygen may be absorbed directly into the alveoli and thereby into the blood stream.

A child with spontaneous nosebleeds is simply a case where these fragile blood vessels are actually a little too fragile, and they can break with a momentary increase in blood pressure or with sneezing or blowing your nose.

In a child who suffers regularly from this problem, and I have a 15 yr old boy who is in this category, scarring builds up in the walls of these blood vessels where previous bleeds have healed and the inelastic nature of the scar tissue formed causes a weakness at the junction between this tissue and the normal vessel walls, perpetuating the problem.

An occasional nosebleed is nothing to worry about. If it is frequent and severe, you need to worry about blood loss generally in some of these other internal areas where the blood vessel walls are very fragile.

Some cases of childhood anaemia are simply due to this sort of internal bleeding.

if your sons nose bleeds last more than 7 minutes call NHS Direct on 0845 46 47 if he's experienced very heavy bleeding, palpitations, shortness of breath, turning pale or swallowing large amounts of blood causing you to vomit

The bleeding usually comes from the lower septum (wall between the two nose channels) just inside the nose. Sometimes called Little's area, this part of the nose has a lot of delicate blood vessels that are easily damaged.
If the bleeding is heavy and coming from further back and higher up in the nose, you may need medical attention.
The main causes of nosebleeds are:
picking the nose; blowing the nose very hard; a minor injury to the nose; a cold or flu (influenza); a blocked, stuffy or dry nose, often caused by an infection; hayfever or other allergies; high altitude; excessive use of nasal decongestants; and excessive use of cocaine. Other possible factors may include:
recent nasal surgery; high, or raised, blood pressure; conditions such as heart failure, vein abnormalities, leukaemia or haemophilia; blood clotting abnormalities (this could be hereditary); certain drugs such as aspirin, medicines for arthritis, and anticoagulants (that stop blood clotting in other parts of the body); being exposed to irritating chemicals; and a tumour in the nasal cavity

If you are having a nosebleed you should:
Sit down and firmly pinch the soft part of your nasal cavity, just above your nostrils, together for 10 minutes. Lean forward and breathe through your mouth. Maintain the pressure on your nose for 15 minutes (time this on the clock) so that the blood clots. The bleeding should stop and not start again, unless your nose is knocked or picked. Avoid blowing your nose and strenuous activity for at least 12 hours after a nosebleed. See your GP or call NHS Direct on 0845 46 47 if the bleeding is extremely heavy or if it does not stop after maintaining pressure for 20-30 minutes.
If your nosebleed does not stop and you see a medical professional they may pack your nose with ribbon gauze or ice. After the bleeding has stopped and your nose is unpacked, it will be thoroughly examined (you will probably have an anaesthetic beforehand) and may be x-rayed. The doctor may check your blood pressure and pulse rate, to see if there is anything abnormal. You may also have a test to see if your blood is clotting properly.
Once the bleeding has stopped, you must avoid any over exertion for 1-2 weeks.
Surgery for recurring nosebleeds:
A minor procedure to cauterise ('burn') the place where the bleeding is coming from can be successful in stopping recurring nosebleeds. This involves touching the bleeding area with a wool swab moistened with a corrosive chemical. If you have bleeding blood vessels, endoscopic surgery (using very fine instruments) can tie off the ends of the vessels to stop the bleeding.
If the bleeding vessel is very far back in the nose, or difficult to compress more major surgery may be required. In rare cases, the main artery from which the bleeding branch arises is tied off. A blood transfusion also may be necessary.
If your nasal septum is deviated (crooked), you may need to have an operation to straighten it.
Bleeding in children, arising from persistent crusting of the insides of the nostrils, is best treated using an antiseptic cream or softening ointment such as petroleum jelly.

Answer 2

My daughter had the same issue, she'd wake up with blood all over the pillow often. What it is is a lack of iron so you might want to give him vitamins with iron in it and also it could be a dry nose. My daughter had a dry nose and as soon as she stretched her nose, the dryness would pull apart from her nostril and cause a rip. The doctor prescribed something for her to put inside of her nose for the dryness and it worked because she hasn't have a nose bleed for years. You can also try those nose sprays in the store (over the counter) because they're just made with saline water. Hope this helps.

Answer 3

As Lucy, I also used to get nosebleeds when I was a teen. There was no cause - or cure. It just stopped. Mine were really really heavy though. It is worrying, I know, but mine only lasted a couple of months. I know it's not much help, but I hope this has re-assured you. Probably best phoning the doctor just in case.

Answer 4

This is a very good thing. Many young people in Zimbabwe have goats. There are a lot of things you can do with a goat, although I admit, living in a council flat may reduce your possibilities. Is your son aware of the facts of life? He could see for himself with his goat. If you are clever, you will get him a female goat, and he will speak to the boy next door who has a boy goat. "Umjitha!" He will say to his friend, "What do you think we put our goats together and let them ukulalana together? This would be fun to watch, and we will get more goats to sell or eat later." "Hau!" His friend will say, because he does not know these things. And your son will appear very mighty and wise, because he will tell him. And then you will have more goats which you can sell to your neighbours, or to stupid whitey charity-people who will give them back to you if you tell them you need a goat. You can learn a lot from a goat, and become a very successful businessman in the process. But do not do this if you are white, because we will think you are a farmer and take your goats away, even if you are still living in a council flat.

Answer 5

I had a similar problem myself, when I was a teen. It happened for a few days only. I would wake up with my nose bleeding night after night. I'm still not sure what it was, but it was summer back then, and we were going through an exceptionally hot week. Just my two cents.

Answer 6

i had this problem when i was growing up when i got them my nose used 2 bleed heavily 4 at least half an hour and it would happen nearly every nite and during the day 2 mine happened 4 no apparent reason i got my nose cautorised which did not help i have grown out of them now and i have only had bout 4 minor ones from being 17

Answer 7

My daughter did the same thing. Give him an iron supplement. This will help him with his nose bleeds and make him less tired too. He could be anemic. If you are really concerned, or if he has nose bleeds very often (3 to 5 times a week), go and see your pediatrician.

Answer 8

My daughter was the same way and the dr said it was because she had a sensitive nose and the dry heat would cause it to bleed. he told me to run a humidifier in her room and it helps with the moisture. I take him to the drs just to be sure its not something more serious.

Answer 9

This used to happen to me too. I got them all the time and they were always very heavy.
My doctor did a little operation (it only took about 10 mins and i was conscience) where he sealed the problemaric vessel in my nose.
That was like 10 years ago and I've never had one since.

Answer 10

Sounds like the air's too dry in his room. Try to put in a small humidifier near his bed.