8 Causes of nausea that can occur in your child

Feeling nauseous feels very annoying and unpleasant. Especially when children experience it. Moreover, the vomiting reflex of most young children is still not optimal, so usually they can only whine "geez-o-whek " without being able to get his bowels out. What causes nausea in children?

Various kinds of things that cause nausea in children

1. Motion sickness

Young children are prone to motion sickness, especially during long journeys. Car sickness occurs when the brain is overwhelmed by sensory signals from the eyes and inner ear that regulate the body's balance.

Based on the signal from the ear, the brain reads that the body is sitting still in the place (in the vehicle) but at the same time it also gets a moving signal because your eyes are looking around while the vehicle is still moving.

It is this overlapping signal that makes children car sick. Lack of oxygen levels in the cabin of a vehicle (whether it's a car, train or plane) can also exacerbate this condition. The main symptoms are nausea, cold sweats, drooling, and even headaches.

Read how to deal with motion sickness in children.

2. Food allergies

Food allergic reactions can also cause nausea in children.

Apart from nausea, children can also experience stomach pain and even vomiting due to food allergies. Allergic reactions can appear immediately after eating or within a few hours afterward.

Therefore, it is important to know what foods can trigger children's allergies, generally eggs, milk and processed products, nuts, and seafood.

3. Infectious diseases

Infectious diseases that cause digestive problems such as diarrhea and vomiting can cause nausea in children. This is because a bacterial or viral infection that causes the disease causes irritation in the digestive tract.

In addition to infections of the digestive tract, viral infections that attack the brain can also cause nausea and vomiting.

4. Restless

Young children tend to get nervous and anxious easily because they are not used to facing a strange environment or new, really drastic changes in their life. For example, the first day of entering school, participating in competitions or competitions, or even moving house.

Without realizing it, anxiety, worry, can cause the digestive system to become stressed too. One of the effects is an increase in stomach acid which can affect the process of digestion of food. That's why you tend to feel nauseous when you're nervous. Kids are like that!

5. Overeating

Children sometimes forget themselves when they are eating. Especially when it is his favorite food that is served on the dining table.

Eating fast and the portions are too much can make children nauseous and even vomiting. This is because the size of the stomach of a young child can no longer accommodate food, so it leaks into the esophagus.

Some children may not be able to vomit because they are sleepy after eating too much.

6. Food poisoning

Food poisoning is the most common cause of nausea in children. Generally caused by the habit of snacking carelessly on the side of the road.

Roadside snacks are usually not guaranteed cleanliness and the source of the ingredients. So it could be that the food has been contaminated with bacteria in the surrounding air (which is high in pollution) or certain chemicals. Food that is not completely cooked can also cause food poisoning in children.

7. Abdominal migraine

In fact, migraines can not only attack the head. You can also get migraines in your stomach, which is characterized by constant nausea and severe stomach pain lasting more than two hours.

Abdominal migraine usually affects children at the age of 7 years, and peaks at the age of 9-11 years. As you get older, abdominal migraines can turn into head migraines.

The cause of abdominal migraines is not known for sure, but child health experts theorize that it has something to do with the miscommunication between the gut nerves and the brain that is triggered by the child's psychological condition. For example, children are stressed or even very happy.

8. Nerve problems

Although rare, autonomic nervous disorders can cause nausea in children. The autonomic nervous system is a group of nerves that regulates the automatic passage of certain body processes, such as blood pressure, heart rate, body core temperature, digestive movements, and the bladder system.

Children with autonomic disorders often experience nausea and abdominal pain accompanied by headaches and fatigue.

However, autonomic nervous disorders are quite difficult to diagnose. Even through medical tests such as endoscopy, X-rays, and blood tests, the results can be fine. Therefore, it needs further supervision from the team of doctors to be able to find out and manage this condition.