Are nosebleeds that occur spontaneously and frequently cause for concern?
I have a friend that will all of a sudden have a nosebleed without having
done anything to cause it, he told me he has a few each week and they
last about 15 minutes.  Any information on this would be appreciated.
Thanks,  Peggy Wageman

Nosebleeds can represent anything from dry nasal mucosa to severe high
{*filter*} pressure to a major bleeding disorder to cancer, etc.  Most of the
time they are entirely benign, and are mostly an annoyance.  Nevertheless,
I would always recommend that anyone who has persistant or recurrent bleedin
from anywhere should see a physician.  A simple history and physical and a
few {*filter*} tests can ususally rule out the {*filter*} things.  A visit to an
ear, nose and throat specialist may be recommended for further evaluation
thereafter.

Ken

        Indeed.  There is a school of thought that says nosebleeds are
common in young people and not to be troubled with.  In my experience,
if you have more than three per week seek a physician.

        As I child I had them at *least* once per week.  The pediatrician
explained this as my body's way of getting rid of excess {*filter*}.  This
was tripe, but he's dead now.  Last summer, I had them rather frequently.
The doctor inserted a device meant for examining ears into my nose and
looked for signs of sinus problems.  None found.  {*filter*} exam showed no
cancer or other annoyances.  Result?  They went away on their own.

        Weather change seems the largest factor.  Give it two weeks,
then seek treatment.  In my case, we later found it was a combination
of weather change, wisdom teeth affecting the sinus', and a rather
stressed lifestyle.  See a doctor, then pay them little mind.

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Can lack of sleep cause bleeding? I used to have nosebleeds often when
I hadn't slept enough, and a flu seemed to also contribute to it.

For some reason I don't have that problem any more..

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! Lasse Hero, Kannelj{rventie 6 B, 02130 Espoo, Finland      !

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Some friends of mine and I have found that the combination of excessive
physical training and lack of sleep (studying late at night) often results in
daytime nosebleeds. We've speculated over lunch what the mechanism behind this
phenomenon could be, but haven't come up with a handy hypothesis so far.
Perhaps the daily biorhythm of glucocorticoid production gets messed up due to
the lack of sleep - this might contribute to mucosal bleeding I imagine. Or
maybe the nightly rest that the nasal mucosa takes from secretion, or rather
the lack of it, might contribute to a dry mucosa during daytime. I imagine
any physical/mental stress may cause nosebleeding via a wealth of different
mechanisms. Flu certainly provokes nosebleeds.

Arctic or subarctic winter certainly plays a significant part in
nosebleeding. Cold, dry air in the wintertime may provoke nosebleeds by
causing the nasal mucosa to dry and thus easily bleed. Moisturizing of
the mucosa with saline solutions (brand name Humidose in Finl.) might
help.

/ep