The blood vessels in the nose are located just below the surface of the nasal tissue. When this nasal tissue gets irritated, the blood vessels become exposed and bleeding occurs. The nasal septum is the piece of tissue that separates the two nasal cavity sides from each other on the inside. The part of the nasal septum that bleeds is that part located closest to the nostril that could be reached with a finger. The other five percent of nosebleeds originate from the back of the nose and are much harder to treat.
Most nosebleeds stop on their own in a matter of minutes.
Those bleeds that don t stop quickly can usually be stopped by applying pressure to the nose. The correct way to do this is to hold pressure for five to ten minutes without stopping along both sides of the nose. The nose is squished between the thumb and index finger of one hand. The thumb and index finger hold pressure on the lower half of the nose. If the nose is still bleeding, you can spray Afrin nasal spray in the nose and hold pressure again.