Natural Nausea Relief

What is Nausea?

By definition, nausea is the uneasy sensation that you need to vomit. This feeling usually appears when you are about to vomit. However, feeling like you need to throw up does not always mean you will when you are in this state. Feeling nauseous can come from a number of factors but usually, it is a side effect of a larger problem. It is best to recognize when you do feel nauseous to then figure out why.

Most Common Causes of Nausea

Feeling like you have to throw up can come from a number of harmless reasons. Below are just
some of them that are easy to resolve.

Motion sickness: Anyone can get motion sickness from moving too much. For example, you can get motion sickness for being in a car, plane, or boat. A person can feel fatigue, uneasiness, dizziness, and nausea after being motion sick. The best way to treat it is to stop moving or focus your eyes on objects that are straight ahead. Avoid overeating or alcohol, because you can throw it up.

Morning sickness: A woman who has morning sickness will be throwing up at any time of the day, although it is usually in the morning. This is a sign that the woman is pregnant, whether she knows it or not. Morning sickness usually occurs in the first few months of pregnancy.

Drinking too much: After a night out of heavily drinking alcohol, a person after might feel nauseous. Even after a person stops drinking, the alcohol remains in the bloodstream and causes the feeling of nausea the morning after. The best way to treat this is to vomit so the toxins can be removed from your body and fill your stomach with food and water.

Ate something weird: It is common to feel bad after eating something. However, the timing of the nausea is important. If nausea appears right after eating, it is more likely that it was caused by food poisoning or an ulcer. Feeling nauseous one to eight hours after might still be food poisoning but food-borne bacteria, like salmonella, will take much longer to produce symptoms. In the same vein, a person might feel nauseous from having unknowingly ingested a foreign body such as a fish bone from eating salmon.

Anxiety: In the midst of a panic attack, your body goes into “fight or flight” mode. Adrenaline starts pumping through your body as it prepares to either go against an enemy or run away.  Other bodily functions will freeze up, which sends chemical signals to your brain and makes you feel like you are nauseous. It is why it is common to feel anxious and nauseous before moments such as speaking in front of a large crowd or giving a presentation.

Stress: We all know this one a little too well. Being stressed causes physical changes in your body, especially to your gut because it is highly sensitive to negative feelings. Your gut is lined with nerves that helps push food through your digestive tract and when you are stressed, your brain thinks it is time to start these contractions. This is what makes you feel nauseous, even being slightly stressed can make you want to throw up.

Acid Reflux:  stomach acid churning back into the esophagus can equal nausea.

Nausea Reactions That Mean More

While some reactions to feeling nauseous are easy to handle, others can reveal a larger problem in a person’s body. Take note if your nausea is not just from feeling sick in a car and if it remains for longer than it should. It could show something much more serious to handle.

Diabetic Ketoacidosis – While having nausea, vomiting, and stomach pains can easily be a stomachache, it could also be a complication of type 1 diabetes. This occurs when energy-starved cells burn fat for fuel, which causes levels of chemicals called ketones. These ketones build up in the urine and blood, which causes nausea.

Feeling hungry – Sounds simple enough, but if you have not eaten in a few hours, your blood sugar can go severely low. Feeling dizzy and nauseous, your body could be giving you a sign that you need to listen to. The goal is to get your blood sugar back up to normal. However, if you constantly feel hungry and nauseous, you might have a larger problem, such as an eating disorder.

Dehydration – In the same vein as feeling hungry, dehydration can cause nausea that can reveal deeper problems. If you feel even mildly dehydrated and water is not enough, you might need to consult with a professional to see what the problem is. Dehydration can lead to low blood pressure issues, fevers, seizures, or even a coma if it is not treated properly.

Pills – Taking too many pills can mess with, and potentially destroy your stomach. By ingesting so many pills, the lining of your stomach can become damaged and make a person feel nauseous if they are taking pills on an empty stomach. For this, it might be easier to decrease the use of pills and find alternatives, such as lozenges or lollipops, to take care of your stomach.

Chemotherapy – Unfortunately, receiving chemotherapy means that patients will probably have nausea as a side effect from the treatment. Although there is no cure, you can help alleviate nausea by taking medications for nausea relief.