Nausea is one of the more unpleasant symptoms of sickness that you can experience. Nothing quite like spending a day hanging over a bucket or toilet waiting for relief. Sometimes the reason for your nausea is obvious, like when you’ve had too much to drink. Other times you may be confused, as you felt perfectly fine just minutes ago. Here are five causes of nausea that you might not know about:
1. Motion Sickness
Have you ever been enjoying a car ride only to find that your stomach wanted to scatter itself all over the floor? No? Well, aren’t you lucky?
If you’ve never experienced it, motion sickness is a kind of nausea that can occur when you’re in a moving vehicle. The exact reason why motion sickness occurs in some people isn’t totally clear. It’s thought that motion sickness may result from a mismatch between what the eyes see and what the inner ear feels. Your inner ear is largely responsible for your balance.
What is known is that you can develop motion sickness even if you’ve never experienced it before. So pay attention to how you feel next time in a fast-moving vehicle. If you feel nauseous, move to the front seat and crack a window. And try to throw up outside the car if you can help it.
2. Pregnancy
If your nausea comes out of nowhere and you’ve been sexually active, you may want to take a pregnancy test. Also called “morning sickness,” nausea caused by pregnancy usually occurs in the first trimester. Sometimes, it may be the first way you realize you’re pregnant.
There’s a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin, or hCG. It’s found in the placenta and is rapidly produced during the first stages of pregnancy. This rapid production irritates the stomach lining, triggering a feeling of nausea.
It’s important to note that nausea might be prevalent in these early pregnancy stages but should be relatively mild. However, more extreme cases of nausea and vomiting can occur, called hyperemesis gravidarum. If you’re experiencing intense nausea due to pregnancy, seek medical attention. Or, if you want to circumvent the issue entirely, invest in a birth control subscription.
3. Eating Too Much or Too Fast
As tYou’reected to loseYou’reou’ve are your lo as the underdog can fair gone through your training against three-time champion Big Chungus in your local fair’s hot dog eating competition. You’re up against three-time champion Big Chungus in your local fair’s hot dog eating contest. With fear in his beady little eyes, Big Chungus watches helplessly as you begin to scarf down the final dog. You’ve been preparing all week for this moment, and victory is close at hand. At least, it was until you began to sense the onset of a harrowing return from the land down under.
‘When you eat, your stomach needs time to let its acid and digestive enzymes do their thing. If you overload it with too much, too fast, your body reaches for the eject button. If you eat too much or fast, your stomach can become distended, triggering your brain’s nausea response. If you eat too much or short, your stomach can become bloated, triggering your brain’s nausea response.
Thankfully, slowing down your food intake can generally avoid this kind of nausea. Take smaller bites, breathe between bites, and chew your food thoroughly before swallowing it. And though your pride may be tarnished for now, there’s always next year to win back your honor. You wait, Chungus.
4. Stress and Anxiety
You might think nausea is a physical symptom of physical causes, and you’d be right. But far too often, people tend to view their mind and their body as two separate systems. In reality, your mind-body connection is heavily intertwined, to the point that an imbalance in one affects the other.
While there’s no one cause for stress and anxiety, it’s clear that there’s a connection between them and your body’s health. When you experience mild distress, your body releases stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. These hormones have numerous reciprocal effects on the body, including your digestive system. They can cause your stomach to contract, creating discomfort and a sense of nausea. These symptoms can exacerbate your anxiety or stress, creating a vicious cycle.
If you’re struggling with stress and anxiety to the point that you get nauseous, try to take up a soothing mindfulness practice. Meditation is a go-to for many, but you can find something else if that’s not your cup of tea. Many activities can be meditative for different people, like reading, cooking, or rock climbing. The goal is to find something that immerses your mind in the present moment.
5. Headaches
While not everyone gets nauseous from a headache, some do. And there are many different kinds of headaches. Where one might just be mild and irritating, another might stress your system to the point that it’s overloaded.
Potential causes for nausea-inducing headaches include eye strain, dehydration, and over-exertion. While there are other causes, these are some of the most common. The prevalence of screens today may contribute to more eye strain and, thus, more headaches and corresponding nausea.
You can treat headaches and their ensuing nausea in a few different ways. Relaxation and stress-reduction techniques can be effective for some. Reduce your screen time if possible, and take breaks every 20 to 60 minutes. Be careful when using medication to relieve headaches, as some of those medications can cause nausea as a side effect. If your headaches and accompanying nausea persist, consider seeing a doctor for ongoing treatment.
Look For Patterns and Change Them
One of the frustrating things about nausea is that the causes for it aren’t always immediately clear. So watching for potential triggers in your lifestyle and environment is important. Look for patterns and consider how you might be able to change them. If you can’t, you may need to take supplementary medication or consult a doctor for ongoing treatment. And sometimes, unfortunately, you may need to wait it out.
