The Guide to Nausea

By theguideto

Nausea is the feeling of stomach discomfort with the urge to vomit. Nausea itself is not a sickness, but a symptom of many illnesses, some of which have nothing to do with the stomach at all.

Common Causes of Nausea

To get rid of nausea, you have to know what exactly causes it. Nausea can disappear quickly or last for a long time depending on its cause. Here are some of the most common causes of nausea:

Headache: Headache is caused by a number of illnesses, and can lead to vomiting. Intense headaches, like migraine, induce nausea.
Motion sickness or seasickness: The inner ear is your body’s primary sense of balance. According to experts, when you ride a rocking ship or any enclosed vehicle that sways or rocks violently, your sense of balance and eyesight don’t agree on what they’re sensing. Your eyesight tells you you’re not moving, but your inner ear senses motion. When this happens, the brain concludes that one of the senses must be hallucinating, possibly due to food poisoning. It then induces the stomach to throw up, so the possibility of food poisoning can be avoided.
Morning sickness: Morning sickness is the kind of nausea that pregnant mothers usually experience. Its exact cause is still debated among experts, but many believe it has to do with hormonal changes. Estrogen levels of women can increase up to a hundredfold during pregnancy.
Food poisoning: Bacterial and viral infection from food or water may cause inflammation in the lining of the stomach. The inflammation then causes nausea, sometimes along with abdominal cramps and diarrhea.
Medications: Some drugs, such as those used to treat cancer, can have severe side-effects, including nausea. Radiation therapy, another cancer treatment, may also have nausea as a side-effect.
Kidney disease: Kidneys lose their ability to remove toxins from the body when they are impaired by illnesses such as kidney stones. This can lead to nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain.
Eating disorder: People with bulimia binge on food, then deliberately induce vomiting to prevent weight gain. Regularly doing this practice may damage the stomach and result in nausea.
Diabetes: If you’re diabetic, the food you eat may stay for a long period of time in your stomach, resulting in the partial paralysis of the stomach or gastroparesis, which often leads to nausea.

What to do if You Have Nausea

The best thing to do if you’re nauseated is to immediately consult your doctor. Take note of all your symptoms, so it’s easier for your doctor to figure out what’s the problem. You don’t have to run to your doctor though, every time you get nauseated. Here are some tips to get rid of your queasiness:

Drink enough water: Dehydration often results in nausea as your body is enfeebled by the lack of liquids. Drink a glass or a cup of water when you feel queasy, but don’t drink too much at once or you may throw up. Soft drinks, noncaffeinated beverages, and replacement fluids can also ease nausea.

Relax and breathe deeply: Stop doing whatever it is that you’re doing because it may be contributing to nausea. Strenuous activities can cause dehydration, which in turn causes nausea. Sit down for a while and breathe deeply to relax yourself.

Over the counter medications: There are many over the counter medications for motion sickness, such as dimenhydrinate and meclizine. Take some of these drugs to quickly get rid of stomach discomfort.

How to Prevent Nausea

Prevention is always better than cure. The list of illnesses that cause nausea is so long however, that it may be impossible to completely prevent it from happening. The following preventive measures though, reduce your risk of getting stomach disruptions.

Keep yourself hydrated: Whether you’re working out or doing house chores, make sure that you’re drinking plenty of liquids to keep your body functioning properly. Sucking on frozen fruit pops and ice chips also helps prevent dehydration.

Take something sweet: Sweets and sugary drinks may calm your stomach and improve your mood. Once you feel nausea coming, simply take a sip of your favorite sweet juice, or eat some candies or chocolates.

Eat easily digested foods: Eating fatty and spicy foods will not help if you’re prone to nausea. Instead, eat easily digested foods like gelatin, toast, and crackers. Once you finish eating them, you can move on to heavier foods such as cereals, rice, and fruits.

Don’t eat immediately after vomiting: Nausea may worsen if you eat immediately after vomiting. Wait about six hours before you eat solid foods to give time for your stomach to calm down.

Over the counter medications: If you always vomit during long trips, take some over the counter drugs before a long journey to prevent queasiness. Also, bring some sweet drinks and snacks with you to calm your stomach.

Crackers for mothers: To prevent morning sickness, nibble on some crackers before you get out of bed every morning.

Don’t panic if you only experience nausea once in a while since it’s very common. Go to your doctor though if you frequently get nauseated, and if you have other symptoms such as headache, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.

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The Guide to Nausea

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