My research indicates a variety of causes of nosebleeds (ignoring the obvious cause of being struck on the nose):

Environmental conditions- The most common cause of nosebleeds seems to be the drying of the membranes in the nose due to poor environment. The typical scenario is that of dry heat in wintertime, either in offices, work buildings, schools, etc., though excessive air conditioning or dehumidification in summer could also cause the trouble. The nasal tissue drys to the point of rupture of one of the many capillaries in that area, and bleeding results. This is added to by the fact that as we age our mucus membranes tend to become more dry.

High Blood Pressure- The capillaries in the nose behave like the water pipes in our basement. A deteriorated pipe (nasal drying) will eventually burst under normal pressure, but high pressure may lead to the rupturing of any weaker area that might not have otherwise been a problem. One of the symptoms of high blood pressure, either temporary or prolonged (hypertension) is the increased possibility of nosebleeds.

Poor Blood Clotting - Medical blood tests can indicate the clotting factor, the ability of our blood to clump at the site of a small rupture and quickly block the flow. Numerous factors affect this clotting ability, such as the level of Vitamin K in our diet (see comments in Control section on this), and we have to maintain a balance between clotting too easily and being reluctant to clot. Frequent use of N-SAID drugs such as Aspirin or prescription pain medicine can weaken the clotting ability.

Physical Problems with the Nose- In rare cases there are actual physical abnormalities in the nose. In my own case, two surgeries for deviated septum left the nasal membrane thinned and susceptible to the effects of drying. There is the rare possibility of growths in the nasal passages that might be contributing to the bleeding. These are things that can be checked by a specialist when normal causes seem unlikely.

 

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