Nosebleed

At around 5.30am as I was preparing breakfast this morning, I realized that Joelle has not awaken yet. She normally wakes up at 5.00am., to arrange her books and to shower. What could be possibly wrong with her? I woke her up and reminded her that she need to leave for school by 6.10am the latest. She jumped out of bed and muttered "Actually, I woke up at 1.00am just now but nobody was awake. My nose bled but luckily only for a short while." I asked her whether she fall or knock at something while in her sleep but she said no. In fact, she was sleeping soundly when she felt something oozing out from her nostril. When she touched her nose she felt the blood and quickly grabbed a towel. Joelle has been having a bout of nosebleed twice last year and today is the first time in this year. "It's okay Joelle, go and freshen up yourself while I prepare your morning juice" I assured her.

Nosebleeds are common in children. The mucous membranes lining the inside of the nasal passages are well supplied with blood. If the mucous lining is too thin it is prone to nosebleed. Usually the bleeding will stopped within 15 to 20 minutes .

There are other important cause of nosebleed. A fall or blow to the nose will quickly rupture the tiny blood vessel in the mucous membranes. The bone may be broken. Polyps also cause recurring nosebleeds. Other causes include trauma, nose-picking, upper respiratory tract infections, sinusitis, rhinitis and dryness of the mucous membranes. If nosebleed occur repeatedly with or without any obvious cause, one should seek professional help.