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Winter causes all manner of unpleasantries: navigating icy roads, dealing with static-y hair, arguing with coworkers over the thermostat, and dealing with icky nosebleeds. With the cold zapping the moisture from the air outside and central heat sucking it away inside, the nose becomes dry, irritated, and more likely to bleed. Dr. Josef E. Gurian, a specialist at the Ear, Nose and Throat Specialists of Northern Virginia, spoke to The List about how to avoid and treat the dreaded winter nosebleed.

1. Do humidify your house

   Nosebleeds occur when the tiny blood vessels that line the mucus in your nose become irritated and break open. Chief among irritants: dry air. Gurian encourages as much humidification as possible, like a whole house humidifier that attaches to your furnace.

2. Don’t pick your nose

   Those little blood vessels can also become irritated by human fingers, Gurian explains. One reason children get nosebleeds frequently is they haven't been socialized to stop picking their noses.

3. Do use saline spray or Vaseline to moisturize regularly

   A few sprays of homemade saline spray a day or a dab of Vaseline will keep the lining of the nose from drying out.

4. Don’t stick tissues up your nose

   You might think it's more polite to stick a Kleenex up your nose than your finger, but Gurian says "what you're doing is rubbing sandpaper in your nose."

5. If you do get a nosebleed, don’t put your head back

   Gurian says he's always having to stop patients from tilting their heads back. They often say they learned it from mom or grandma. "I say, well, grandma was trying to keep her carpet clean," Gurian says. You should actually tip your head slightly foreward.

6. Do pinch your nostrils shut

   If you cut your hand, you put pressure on it to stop the bleeding. Gurian says the principle is the same with nosebleeds. Since most nosebleeds are anterior, or at the front of the nose, they can be stopped by firmly pressing your nostrils together and holding for 5-10 minutes. "Without rubbing it, looking at it, blowing it," he says. "Just hold it."

7. Don’t pinch the bridge of your nose

   "That doesn't do anything," says Gurian. "That puts pressure on the bone. That's not where the blood vessel is."

8. Do try a few sprays of decongestant if the pinching won't stop

   If the bleeding hasn't stopped after 10 minutes, try a little nasal decongestant, Gurian suggests, which restricts blood vessels. Then repeat the nostril pinch.

9. Don’t even think about all those home remedies

   Gurian's heard a bunch of them, like putting pressure on the back of the neck or lip or applying cold compresses to the neck or nose. Dozens more circulate online, many involving putting a key on the neck or holding a coin in your mouth. "I have no idea how they got started, nor do I have any idea why they would work," he says. Bottom line: don't do them.

10. Do get help if the bleeding won't stop

    If your nosebleed goes on for 20 or 30 minutes, if you've bled enough to fill a coffee cup, or if you feel light-headed or dizzy, you need to visit a doctor or the emergency room, Gurian says.