Never Tilt Your Head Back During A Nosebleed, Paramedic Warns

A paramedic has demonstrated why you should never tilt your head backwards when you have a nose bleed. Watch here:

Nikki Jurcutz - co-founder of paediatric first aids training company Tiny Hearts Foundation - shared a video on Instagram explaining why it can be dangerous to tilt your head backwards when you get a nose bleed.

Using a mannequin to demonstrate what could happen if you tipped your child's head backwards in such a situation, she warned: "The blood will flow into the stomach or lungs, which may cause your little one to vomit or aspirate.

"So remember, always tilt forward!"

Sure, I know you don't wanna get bloodstains all over your shirt/food, but that doesn't mean you should tip your head backwards - just let it hang down between your legs for a bit, like a giraffe having a drink.

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You also shouldn't pick your nose, in case you didn't know that yet. Not only is it gross, it can also be dangerous too.

Speaking to Business Insider a few years back, otolaryngologist Dr Erich Voigt explained: "By picking your nose, it causes little abrasions, some blood comes out and it's food for the germs.

"Children are notorious for picking their nose, and they give themselves nose bleeds.

"The blood supply to the front of the nose is very vigorous - there are five arteries that lead to the front of the nose.

"When an abrasion occurs there can be vigorous bleeding, so children induce a lot of nosebleeds that way."

While we're on the subject of facial fidgeting, I should point out that you shouldn't pick spots in the area around the nose and mouth either.

The reason this vicinity - known as the 'triangle of death' or 'danger triangle' - is so dangerous is because the veins in this region lead back to your cavernous sinus, located in your brain.

Pexels/Andrea Piacquadio

Dr Jeremy Brauer, clinical assistant professor in the department of dermatology at NYU Langone Medical Center, told Men's Health: "If there were a serious skin infection in this area that went untreated, and then subsequently tracked back to the brain, it could theoretically prove fatal."

Dr Brauer said it is extremely unlikely that a popping session in this perilous triangle would prove fatal, as infections can be treated with antibiotics and you're likely to spot the symptoms in good time.

Still, to be on the safe side, he advised against bursting one of the blighters. Instead, you're better off pressing a hot cloth against it for one minute, before applying an acne cream.

If you do succumb to a particularly tempting pimple, just keep an eye out for signs of infection, such as redness, swelling and bleeding.

If you spot one outside of the triangle, you could still get an infection that could lead to scarring, but you shouldn't have to worry about potentially fatal consequences.

Topics: Interesting, Community, Health

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey