There is blood when I blow my nose

Please could you tell me the following: Every morning when I get up, my nose feels slightly blocked and I blow it. When I blow it, there is blood on t...


Please could you tell me the following: Every morning when I get up, my nose feels slightly blocked and I blow it. When I blow it, there is blood on the tissue. This only happens in the morning and if I blow later on in the day, it doesn’t bleed. NB: There isn’t a lot of blood but enough to notice. Also it comes from both nostrils. I know it sounds relatively minor but I am slightly concerned about this. Any advice you can give would be appreciative.



If you are otherwise well, there is probably nothing to worry about here. You are right to report bleeding from anywhere, and it always pays to check. As you are a bit stuffy in the mornings, you probably have an allergic or vasomotor rhinitis. This is a fancy way of saying that the lining of your nose gets congested, sometimes because of an allergic reaction. The swollen and inflamed nasal lining is more likely to bleed when you blow your nose, but the bleeding does not usually amount to much, just a few spots. If your problems is an allergy, as it has been going on for over two months it is unlikely to be hay fever. As it is worse in the mornings it may be something in your bedroom, like a new carpet, feather pillows, or a new duvet. It might be worth considering these things and try a change if there is a possibility they might be the culprits. Sometimes people with this sort of problem also notice crusting in the inside of their nose. This may mean a slight infection in the lower nostrils, and there is a little knot of blood vessels there called ‘Little's area’. If these blood vessels get inflamed, they can also bleed when you blow your nose. The bleeding is often more troublesome than you are describing, and if the bleeding is repeated and troublesome. Then this area can be cauterised to stop the problem. Should the bleeding persist and get worse, then it would be best to go and mention it to your GP.

Yours sincerely

Dr Keith Barnard, GP

Last updated

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