What Is Nausea? Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment, And ...

Nausea can commonly be alleviated with self-care measures that are low risk yet have variable research evidence. Per Mayo Clinic, the following tips can be helpful:

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• Get some rest. Too much activity can make nausea worse.
• Stay hydrated. Drink cold, clear, carbonated, or sour beverages, such as ginger ale, lemonade, and water, and try to take small sips. Mint tea may also help calm nausea. Oral rehydration solutions like Pedialyte can prevent dehydration.
• Steer clear of strong odors. Food and cooking smells, perfume, and smoke can be triggers.
• Avoid other triggers. Other nausea and vomiting triggers include stuffy rooms, heat, humidity, flickering lights, and driving.
• Eat bland foods. If you’ve been vomiting, wait some time to eat solid foods until your body feels ready. When you think you can tolerate solids, start with foods like rice, crackers, toast, applesauce, and bananas, which are easy to digest. When you can keep these down without vomiting (if you’ve been vomiting or feel like you might), try cereal, rice, fruit, and salty or high-protein, high-carbohydrate foods.
• Avoid fatty or spicy foods. These foods can make your nausea worse.

According to Cleveland Clinic, the following tips may also help control nausea:

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• Don’t combine hot and cold foods.
• Drink beverages slowly.
• Avoid brushing your teeth after you eat.

To stave off vomiting, you could try taking small sips of clear, carbonated beverages or fruit juices (except orange and grapefruit, which are very acidic) or suck on popsicles.

To avoid or reduce motion sickness in a car, sit facing the front windshield (watching fast movement through side windows can make nausea worse).

Medication Options

If you have motion sickness, over-the-counter motion sickness medications can improve symptoms, according to Mayo Clinic.

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 These include:

• Dimenhydrinate (Dramamine)
• Meclizine (Travel Sickness)

Other types of over-the-counter medications can help relieve other forms of nausea, per Harvard Health Publishing.

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These include:

• Chewable or liquid antacids
• Bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol)
• A solution of glucose, fructose, and phosphoric acid (Emetrol)

If these medications don’t help you feel better, a wide variety of prescription oral medications are also used for nausea, with varying efficacy and side effects. Prescription motion sickness adhesive patches like scopolamine (Transderm Scop) may also be helpful for long trips, like a cruise.

Alternative and Complementary Therapies

An ancient Chinese practice known as acupressure traditionally has been used to help address mild nausea and morning sickness.

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This involves stimulating an acupressure or acupuncture point called P6. Using your middle and index fingers, firmly press down on the groove between the two large tendons on the inside of your wrist, three finger widths below the base of your palm. You can also purchase over-the-counter wristbands that work on the same pressure points, such as Sea-Band.Although cannabis may help with nausea, chronic cannabis use can cause a condition called cannabis hyperemesis syndrome, which involves frequent severe nausea and vomiting.

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If your nausea is due to chemotherapy for cancer, acupuncture may be helpful.

Additionally, other therapies for acute to more chronic nausea with a varying amount of research evaluation include aromatherapy, hypnotherapy, ginger, and cannabis.