Nosebleeds more likely to occur in morning — doctors

Like blood pressure, they seem to follow a 24-hour pattern.

“It is not hypertension (high blood pressure) that triggers nosebleeds. It is the Circadian pattern of blood pressure,” Dr Roberto Manfredini said in a telephone interview.

But the expert in emergency medicine said the internal bodyclock is probably a co-factor because other causes such as injury or vein disease also trigger nosebleeds.

“Blood pressure is just one of the factors,” said Manfredini.

Minor nosebleed are a common ailment. They are normally caused by a small rupture in a blood-vessel in the nose caused by injury, high altitude, allergies or medications.

Although they can be very messy, as well as embarrassing, the blood-flood can normally be stopped by pinching the nostrils for about 10 minutes. Manfredini and his colleagues studied 1,741 adults who had been treated in an Italian hospital for profuse nosebleeds, a condition known as epistaxis, during a seven-year period.

The number of nosebleed was lowest during the night, then peaked in the morning and lowered in the afternoon before increasing in the evening.

Research has shown that heart-attacks, strokes and brain haemorrhage follow similar patterns.

The research, reported in The British Medical Journal, found clear peak patterns in both men and women patients and among adults of all ages. People with high and low blood pressure suffered nosebleeds.

“Until today, colleagues, doctors and practitioners were convinced that nosebleeds were the first symptoms of a hypertensive crisis. It is not true,” said Manfredini.

He added that scientists know more about the influence of Circadian variations on blood-flow in the arteries but less about its influence on veins.

The researchers are planning further studies on veins in the lower limbs to improve understanding of the impact of the body clock on veins.