While you should always see a doctor if you experience something out of the ordinary, these signs generally are more smoke than fire:

A Bloody Nose

Nosebleeds can be particularly frightening due to the suddenness in which they occur and the sometimes large amount of blood involved.

“People worry that it’s internal bleeding, but almost every time it’s not,” says Dr. Carlo Reyes, emergency room physician and vice chief of staff at Los Robles Hospital in Thousand Oaks, Calif. “Bloody noses are most often due to bleeding of the anterior septum, where the blood vessels are near the surface of the skin.

It’s alarming but usually goes away with pressure or packing.”

High blood pressure, allergies and a natural propensity for nosebleeds all contribute to an increased risk of nosebleeds.

Interestingly, they’re most common in young children ages two to 10 and adults ages 50 to 80.

Sign to see a doctor right away:

If the bleeding does not stop after five to 10 minutes of pressure. “Ninety percent of nosebleeds are anterior,” Reyes says.

But posterior nosebleeds, from deep inside the nose, cannot be stopped by packing and require a physician’s care.

Bell’s Palsy

The sudden loss of muscle control on one side of the face makes it easy to mistake Bell’s palsy for a stroke, though it’s not nearly as serious.

A stroke occurs when a blood clot cuts off the blood supply to the brain; Bell’s palsy results from inflammation of a facial nerve that causes weakness or paralysis of the face.

“It’s a simple diagnosis but can be missed by an ER doctor who doesn’t have the training,” Reyes says.