What Causes Upset Stomach And Nausea

A Natural Part Of The Fight

Anxiety is a natural reaction, and in small doses, its actually healthy. It is thought that some of the symptoms of anxiety including nausea developed to tell your brain that there was something dangerous or new in the vicinity so that you would make a smart decision regarding your next action.

When you are under stress but not facing any present danger, nausea can be especially distressing. When faced with stress, the body goes into the “fight or flight mode,” triggering the autonomic nervous system specifically activating the sympathetic nervous system and inhibiting the parasympathetic nervous system.

This action releases a hormone called epinephrine, which is often referred to as “adrenaline.” Additional stress may trigger other adrenal-related hormones. These hormones alter the stomach lining and food digestion take blood away from the digestive system and cause hyperventilation , dizziness, and more.

Stress can also cause muscle tension in your abdomen, and that added tension may squeeze your stomach in a way that leads to nausea. The gut also has an abundance of neurotransmitter receptors and is highly connected to the brain. It is possible that the way anxiety alters neurotransmitter levels in the brain may affect the gut as well.

Finally, during fight or flight, digestion is inhibited, which may affect how you process food and stomach acid and may lead to nausea.

When Should You See A Doctor For Abdominal Pain

You should see a doctor for abdominal pain if it is severe or for mild abdominal pain lasting more than a week . So-called red flag symptoms that may indicate a serious or life-threatening condition include:

• Abdomen is stiff or hard and tender when you or someone else touches it

• Do certain foods or activities seem to make it worse?

• Have you taken any over-the-counter medications for your pain? What is the effect?

Should I Go To The Er For Nausea And Vomiting

Seek immediate treatment in the emergency room if:

• You’re experiencing chest pain, palpitations, severe abdominal pain, or you have an intense headache
• You’re confused, have dizziness, or are having trouble seeing
• You have a high fever and/or stiff neck
• You have rectal bleeding
• You have blood in your vomit
• You have been nauseated or vomiting for more than 2 days and are not able to eat or drink any food or liquid

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Conditions That Cause Headaches And Nausea

Many other types of conditions and headaches can also cause nausea and vomiting. They include:

• Cluster headaches
• Headaches accompanied by any type of viral infection such as flu
• Meningitis
• Stress and anxiety
• Pre-menstrual syndrome

Some of these conditions act as triggers for migraines too. It often becomes difficult to understand if the nausea is being caused by a migraine or it is triggering the migraine. Only an expert headache doctor can determine what you are going through and determine the reasons behind recurring nausea and vomiting.

Headaches and nausea may also be a sign of some serious medical ailment that requires immediate medical attention. Consult your pain management doctor to know more about what could be causing these headaches and accompanying nausea to get lasting relief.

Salmonella: Poultry And Eggs

Salmonella bacteria can taint any food, although there’s a greater risk from animal products because of contact with animal feces. In chickens, it can infect eggs before the shell forms, so even clean, fresh eggs may harbor salmonella. Symptoms include stomach cramps, fever, and diarrhea 12 to 72 hours after exposure. Illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days.

Safety: Never eat raw or lightly cooked eggs. Cook poultry to 165 F. Keep raw poultry separate from cooked poultry and other foods. Wash hands, cutting boards, utensils, and countertops after handling.

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How Anxiety Causes Nausea

Stress and anxiety are often linked as the latter can be caused by stress and can create it. But there are also ways in which anxiety can lead to nausea independently of stress. They include the following:

• Anxiety can make someone “hypersensitive” to the way their body feels. This means they give more attention to the body. When you become hypersensitive, a small amount of “normal” nausea that you otherwise could ignore can feel like severe nausea that is difficult to control.
• Anxiety is a known trigger of and contributor to issues like motion sickness, so some people with anxiety tend to have worse nausea during car rides and similar movement.
• Anxiety may change the bodys levels of neurotransmitters like serotonin. Serotonin also plays a role in the reactions of the gut. Thus, it is possible for changes in these neurotransmitters levels in the brain to trigger nausea signals in the gut.

Of course, anxiety itself also causes and is caused by stress, so all of the stress responses are similar to the responses of those that have frequent or chronic anxiety.

Causes Of Upset Stomach And Nausea

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Can Anxiety Cause Nausea

Many different things can lead to nausea. We dont know exactly why this happens, but it appears to be a bodily response to something that irritates or disrupts the natural state. Did you eat too much? Nausea. Did you get an illness? Nausea. Have you spun around in a circle? Nausea. You didnt get enough sleep? Nausea. Did you run too fast? Nausea. Certain illnesses are associated with nausea, and it also often accompanies feelings of disgust.

The evolutionary purpose of nausea is thought to be to notify a person of something and prevent the person from repeating whatever they just did. Although unexplained nausea is possible, nausea is generally your bodys way of telling you that it doesnt like something that occurred or the results of that action.

Nausea is triggered by internal signals. These signals can come from all over the body from the cerebral cortex to the chemoreceptor trigger zone to the peripheral and vestibular systems. The messages travel toward the brain stem, where they trigger a series of actions that ultimately lead to feelings of nausea and the movement of the contents of the stomach up the digestive tract.

It should come as little surprise that anxiety can also cause nausea. Its intensity is largely related to the causes and types of anxiety youre experiencing. Not everyone will experience nausea, but those who do may have mild to severe nausea.

Nausea is one of the most common anxiety symptoms. But why does it happen, and what can you do about it?

Is Dyspepsia A Serious Condition

Most often, medicine can take care of this condition.

Sometimes dyspepsia can be the sign of a serious problemfor example, a deep stomach ulcer.

If you have dyspepsia, talk to your family doctor. This is especially important if any one of the following is true for you:

You’re over 50 years of age

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Staph: Sandwiches Salads Pastries

Yes, you can get a staph infection from food when an infected person — especially someone with an open wound or skin infection on their hand– prepares it. Foods at highest risk include sandwiches, salads , cream-filled pastries, and puddings. Symptoms come on quickly, in as little as 30 minutes, and include vomiting, cramps, and diarrhea. They come on so quickly because they’re caused by a pre-formed toxin rather than the bacteria, which also is why the condition is not contagious. The illness usually runs its course in one to three days.

Safety: Wash hands thoroughly before handling food. Do not handle food if you are sick or have a nose or eye infection, an open wound, or infection on your hands or wrists.

Diabetes Diseases And Eating Disorders

• Diabetes: Persons with diabetes may develop nausea because of gastroparesis, a condition in which the stomach fails to empty properly and is likely due to the generalized neuropathy that is a complication of the disease.

People with diabetes can also develop nausea and vomiting should their blood sugars become abnormally high or low because the sugar and insulin balance is disturbed.

• Diseases, illness, or conditions: Many illnesses associated with the intra-abdominal organs can produce the symptoms of nausea and vomiting. These include digestive organ disease such as:
• Kidney diseases
• Some forms of cancer
• Appendicitis

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Living With Vomiting And Diarrhea

Vomiting and diarrhea usually dont last long. If its caused by an infection, vomiting and diarrhea are a way for the body to get rid of the infection. Giving medicines that stop vomiting and diarrhea may actually interfere with the bodys efforts to heal. Antibiotics are usually not necessary either. Talk to your family doctor if you or a loved one is frequently vomiting or having diarrhea.

Neurological Causes Of Nausea And Vomiting

• Headache: especially migraine because it commonly is associated with nausea and vomiting.
• Inner ear:Motion sickness, labyrinthitis, benign positional vertigo, or Meniere’s disease
• Increased pressure in the head : Any illness or injury that increases the pressure within the skull can cause vomiting.
• Brain swelling due to trauma
• Infection
• Tumors
• Abnormal electrolyte concentrations in the bloodstream and associated water imbalance
• Concussion, patients with head injuries do not have to have detectable bleeding in the brain or brain swelling to have symptoms of brain irritation, which can include a headache, nausea, vomiting, changes in vision, confusion, difficulty concentrating, and difficulty sleeping.

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How Is The Cause Of Nausea And Vomiting Diagnosed

Diagnosis often can be made when the health care professional takes a careful history and performs a physical examination. Any tests that need to be ordered will be based on the information from the history and physical exam, and sometimes no further testing is required to make the diagnosis.

Laboratory tests and X-rays may be ordered to assess the stability of the patient and not necessarily to make the diagnosis. For example, a patient with food poisoning may need blood tests ordered to measure the electrolytes and other chemicals, since the patient may lose significant amounts of sodium, potassium, and chloride from the body from persistent vomiting and diarrhea.

Urinalysis may be helpful in assessing hydration status. Concentrated, dark urine is associated with dehydration because the kidneys try to preserve as much water as possible in the body. Ketones in the urine are also a sign of dehydration.

Remedies And Treatments For Nausea

Most of the time nausea is not a cause for concern. However, there are actions you can take to minimize the unpleasant feeling.

Because nausea upsets your stomach, eating food may temporarily make things worse. A diet of clear liquids can provide the sugar, salt, and some nutrients your body needs until you can eat solid food again. Clear liquids are easy to digest and don’t put extra strain on your stomach or intestines.

The best things to drink when you’re nauseous are:

• Clear broth
• Water

You should avoid alcoholic beverages, dairy products, smoothies, and vegetable juice.

If your nausea causes frequent vomiting, doctors may give you oral rehydration therapy, which involves drinking a rehydration solution that replaces the minerals and body fluids you lost.

Because peppermint tea contains a range of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, it is used for a variety of ailments. One of its most well-known traditional uses is to reduce nausea by soothing your stomach. In oil form and through aromatherapy, peppermint has been studied as a nausea remedy among pregnant people.

To make this kind of tea, steep 1 teaspoon of dried peppermint leaves in a cup of boiling water and strain it after ten or so minutes. When it becomes a safe temperature to drink, slowly sip the infusion and let the benefits take effect.

You can find fresh ginger root at your grocery store, or you can buy ginger supplements.

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When To Call The Doctor About Nausea And Vomiting

• If the nausea lasts for more than a few days or if there is a possibility of being pregnant
• If home treatment is not working, dehydration is present, or a known injury has occurred that may be causing the vomiting
• Adults should consult a doctor if vomiting occurs for more than one day, diarrhea and vomiting last more than 24 hours, or there are signs of dehydration.
• Take an infant or child under six years to the doctor if vomiting lasts more than a few hours, diarrhea is present, signs of dehydration occur, there is a fever, or if the child hasn’t urinated for 4-6 hours.
• Take a child over age six years to the doctor if vomiting lasts one day, diarrhea combined with vomiting lasts for more than 24 hours, there are any signs of dehydration, there is a fever higher than 101 degrees, or the child hasn’t urinated for six hours.

You should seek immediate medical care if any of the following situations occur with vomiting:

• There is blood in the vomit
• Severe headache or stiff neck
• Lethargy, confusion, or a decreased alertness

How To Use Pedialyte Oral Solution

Take this product by mouth as directed by your doctor, or follow all directions on the product package. If you have any questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

Some brands of the liquid form should be mixed before using, while others should not be mixed. Ask your doctor or pharmacist if you have questions about your specific brand. If your liquid form is a suspension, shake the bottle well before each dose.

If you are using the powdered form, mix the contents of the packet in water as directed on the product package. Stir until completely dissolved.

Do not heat this product unless the product package states that it is okay to do so.

Dosage is based on your medical condition and response to treatment.

Do not drink fruit juices or eat foods with added salt while taking this product unless directed by your doctor.

Tell your doctor if your condition worsens, if it persists for more than 24 hours, or if you also have severe stomach/abdominal pain, blood in the stool/vomit, a fever, or signs of dehydration . If you think you may have a serious medical problem, get medical help right away.

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Underlying Causes Of Chronic Upset Stomach

Having an occasional upset stomach is a normal part of human life. Generally, the causes of an upset stomach are simple and temporary. However, if you suffer from a chronic upset stomach, it can be a sign of a bigger problem. Knowing what the underlying causes of your chronic upset stomach are will help you to determine how best to deal with it.

At one time or another most people will find that they are suffering from an upset stomach. It could be that they have the flu, and the virus is inducing nausea. It could be that they ate too much of their favorite spicy dish, and are paying for it the next day with a sour belly. It could even be a mild case of food poisoning.

The most common causes for an upset stomach are dietary. Eating foods that are high in fat will cause an upset stomach. Eating too fast will cause an upset stomach, as well. Eating too much will do the same. A high level of caffeine or alcohol use can also cause an upset stomach. These are among the most frequent causes of occasional upset stomachs. It is possible that, if you suffer often with an upset stomach, that you may need to consider dietary changes that will help to avoid these specific causes.