Every adult I know was taught to tilt their head back during a nosebleed. I was. My parents were. Their parents were. It is wrong. It has always been wrong. And it can actually make things worse.

Why Tilting Back Is Bad

When you tilt your head back, the blood does not stop — it just drains down the back of your throat. You swallow it. Swallowed blood is an irritant to your stomach — it can cause nausea and vomiting, which raises your blood pressure and makes the nosebleed worse.

Worse, if the bleeding is heavy, blood can pool in the throat and cause choking or go into the airway. Tilting your head back does nothing to stop the actual bleeding. It just hides it.

The Correct Method

1. Lean forward. Not dramatically — just tilt your head slightly down. This lets the blood drain out of your nostrils instead of down your throat.
2. Pinch the soft part of your nose. Not the bony bridge at the top — the soft, fleshy part right below the bridge. Use your thumb and index finger. Pinch firmly enough to close both nostrils completely.
3. Hold for 10 to 15 minutes without letting go. Set a timer. Do not peek every two minutes to check — every time you release the pressure, you break any clot that has started to form, and you reset the timer. Continuous pressure is the only thing that works.
4. After 15 minutes, release gently. If bleeding has stopped, do not blow your nose for several hours. If bleeding continues, repeat for another 10 to 15 minutes.

When to Get Medical Help

Most nosebleeds stop with pressure alone. Go to the ER if:

• The bleeding continues after 30 minutes of continuous pressure.
• The bleeding is heavy enough that you feel lightheaded or weak.
• The nosebleed is from a fall, a blow to the head, or a car accident.
• You are on blood thinners and cannot get it to stop.

Prevention

If you get frequent nosebleeds, especially in winter, the cause is usually dry nasal passages. Dry air in heated homes dries out the delicate membranes inside your nose, and they crack and bleed. A thin layer of petroleum jelly applied inside each nostril with a cotton swab before bed helps. So does running a humidifier in your bedroom at night. Both are way less annoying than waking up to blood on your pillow.

I have corrected at least six people on this since I learned it. It is one of those things where once you know, you cannot watch someone do it wrong without saying something.