It’s a bit of a shock, honestly. You grab a tissue, give your nose a good clear-out, and instead of the usual clear or yellow stuff, you’re looking at streaks of bright red or rusty brown. Seeing blood in your tissue can feel like a sudden emergency. You start wondering if something is seriously wrong up there.
Usually, it isn’t a crisis. But it is your body trying to tell you that the delicate ecosystem inside your nostrils is currently falling apart.
When people say everytime I blow my nose there is blood, they aren't usually talking about a full-on, leaning-over-the-sink nosebleed. It’s more like a constant, annoying spotting. Your nose is incredibly vascular. The skin inside is thinner than the skin on your eyelid, and it’s packed with tiny capillaries that live right near the surface. These vessels are fragile. They break if you look at them wrong.
The Dry Air Saboteur
The most common culprit for blood in your mucus is actually just the air you're breathing. Think about it. If you live in a place where the heater is cranking all winter, or if you’re stuck in a low-humidity office all day, that air is sucking the moisture right out of your nasal membranes.
When the lining of your nose gets too dry, it loses its elasticity. It gets brittle. It cracks. It’s basically like having chapped lips, but inside your head. Every time you blow your nose, the pressure and the friction of the tissue pull at those tiny cracks, causing them to weep a little blood into your mucus.
Dr. Erich Voigt, an otolaryngologist at NYU Langone Health, often points out that "digital trauma"—which is just a fancy medical way of saying you’re picking your nose—is a massive factor here too. If the nose is dry and itchy, you're more likely to rub it or pick at it, which just reopens those tiny wounds over and over again. It becomes a cycle. You blow, it bleeds, it scabs, it itches, you blow again, and the scab pops off.
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Infections and the Inflammatory Response
Sometimes it’s not just the weather. If you’ve been battling a nasty cold or a sinus infection, your nasal tissues are already under siege. They’re swollen. They’re engorged with blood to help fight off the virus or bacteria.
This inflammation makes the vessels even more prone to leaking.
When you have a "productive" cold, you're likely blowing your nose twenty times a day. That's a lot of physical stress on the tissue. Plus, if you’re using over-the-counter nasal sprays like Afrin (oxymetazoline) for more than three days, you might be dealing with "rebound congestion." These sprays work by shrinking blood vessels, but when they wear off, the vessels swell up even larger than before, making them incredibly easy to rupture.
Chronic sinusitis is another heavy hitter. This isn't just a week-long cold; it's a long-term inflammation of the cavities around your nasal passages. According to the Mayo Clinic, chronic sinusitis can cause thickened, discolored discharge that frequently contains traces of blood because the tissue is constantly irritated and never gets a chance to fully heal.
Medications You Might Not Suspect
You might be surprised to find that the reason everytime I blow my nose there is blood is actually sitting in your medicine cabinet.
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Blood thinners are the obvious ones. If you’re on aspirin, warfarin, or newer anticoagulants like Eliquis, your blood doesn't clot as quickly. A tiny micro-tear that would normally seal up in seconds stays open longer, leading to visible blood in your tissue every single time you clear your nose.
But it's not just the heavy-duty stuff.
- Nasal Steroids: If you have allergies and use Flonase (fluticasone) or Nasonex, you have to be careful with your aim. If you spray the medicine directly onto the septum—the middle wall of your nose—it can thin the tissue over time. This leads to easy bleeding. Experts recommend "aiming toward the ear" to avoid hitting that sensitive middle wall.
- Aspirin: Even a daily baby aspirin for heart health can increase the frequency of blood-tinged mucus.
- Supplements: Things like Vitamin E, garlic supplements, and ginger are known to have mild blood-thinning effects. If you're taking high doses, they could be contributing to the spotting.
When Should You Actually Worry?
I’m not a doctor, and this isn't a substitute for a real check-up, but there are definitely "red flags" that mean you should stop Googling and start calling a specialist.
If the bleeding is only happening on one side, every single time, for weeks on end, that’s a reason to see an ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat doctor). While rare, tumors or polyps in the nasal cavity can present as persistent, one-sided bleeding.
You should also keep an eye out for other symptoms. Are you losing weight for no reason? Do you have a weird bump inside your nose that won't go away? Is your face feeling numb or are you having frequent headaches? These are the outliers, but they matter.
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Most of the time, though, it’s just "Kieselbach’s Plexus." This is a specific spot at the front of your nasal septum where five different arteries meet. It’s the "Grand Central Station" of nasal blood flow. Because so many vessels converge there, it’s the most frequent site for bleeding. If that area gets irritated, it will bleed every time you put pressure on it.
Fix the Environment, Fix the Nose
If you want to stop seeing red, you have to baby your nose for a while. It needs a "moisture intervention."
First, buy a humidifier. Run it in your bedroom at night. If the air is at 40-50% humidity, your nose won't dry out while you sleep. This is usually the single most effective thing you can do.
Second, stop blowing so hard. Seriously. You’re not trying to win a contest. If you blow with massive force, you’re creating a pressure spike that those tiny vessels just can't handle. Use a gentle "sniffle" or blow one nostril at a time very softly.
Third, use a saline gel or a tiny bit of plain petroleum jelly. You can apply a small amount (about the size of a pea) just inside the nostril with a cotton swab or a clean finger before bed. This creates a barrier that keeps the moisture in and protects the tissue from the air. Just don't push it too far up; you only need it at the very entrance where the air hits first.
Actionable Steps for Healing
If you're tired of the blood, follow this protocol for seven days to let the tissue knit back together.
- Saline Rinses: Use a Neti pot or a saline spray two to three times a day. This keeps the mucus thin and washes away crusts without you having to blow hard. Use distilled water only—never tap water.
- The "Ear Aim" Technique: If you use allergy sprays, point the nozzle toward the outer corner of your eye/ear on the same side. This keeps the chemicals off your septum.
- Hydrate from the Inside: Drink more water. If your body is dehydrated, your mucus membranes are the first place to feel it.
- Hands Off: Don't pick, don't rub, and don't "check" to see if it's still bleeding by sticking a tissue up there. Every time you touch a healing wound, you reset the clock.
- Evaluate Your Meds: Check with your doctor if you recently started a new medication. Don't stop taking prescribed blood thinners on your own, but let your physician know about the nasal bleeding.
Most nasal spotting clears up within a week of consistent moisturizing. If you’ve spent two weeks religiously using a humidifier and ointment and you're still seeing blood every time you blow, it’s time to let an ENT take a look with a scope. They can quickly see if there’s a specific vessel that needs to be cauterized—a simple, quick procedure that seals the vessel with a tiny bit of silver nitrate. It sounds scary, but it’s usually a five-minute fix that ends the "everytime I blow my nose there is blood" cycle for good.