What Causes Nosebleeds and How Nutrition Can Help?

Nosebleeds can occur due to blowing your nose too hard, the inside of your nose being too dry (e.g. due to a change in air temperature, common in Winter), nose picking, allergies or frequent sneezing.

Certain people are more likely to getting nosebleeds, including:

Children – Some are naturally more susceptible to nosebleeds than others.
adults over 45 years old
pregnant women
People with high blood pressure

WhICH nutrients can help?

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is needed to help make collagen, collagen helps the skin to heal and keep our blood vessels healthy and strong. When deficient in vitamin C the body produces less collagen, resulting in weaker and more fragile blood vessels, which are prone to breaking and bleeding.

Vitamin C rich dense foods include oranges, peppers and strawberries or you could boost levels with our Gentle vitamin C.

Vitamin K1

Vitamin K1 supports the liver in producing proteins that help blood clot. If deficient in vitamin K1, nose bleeds maybe more heavier and bleed for longer.

You can obtain vitamin K1 through leafy green vegetables, cheese, chicken, butter, sauerkraut, and egg yolks.

Please note this K1 is different to the form often found in Vitamin D supplements (that’s vitamin K2!).

Vitamin D

People prone to nosebleeds are sometimes low in vitamin D, which may contribute to nasal irritation due to its role in immunity and reducing inflammation. Sunlight is an excellent source of vitamin D, but during autumn and winter months, it’s important to focus on vitamin D-rich foods such as grass-fed meat, organic milk, oily fish or consider vitamin D supplementation.

Zinc

Zinc helps to repair tissues and supports the immune function. A deficiency in zinc may impair the healing of the nasal lining, contributing to more frequent nosebleeds. Zinc supplementation may be helpful, check out our zinc options here.

Mould, Histamines & winter months

Exposure to mould and high levels of histamines can also contribute to nosebleeds. Mould can irritate the nasal lining, and histamines—released during allergic reactions—can cause inflammation and swelling in the nasal passages, making them more prone to bleeding. If your child is sensitive to mould or has allergies, it’s important to limit exposure to mouldy environments and manage histamine levels through antihistamines, reducing allergens or through dietary changes.

Environmental dryness (more common in winter months) can also result in nose bleeds.