Table of contents:
- Definition
- What is nausea?
- Symptoms
- What are the symptoms of nausea?
- When should I see a doctor?
- Cause
- What causes nausea?
- 1. Increase in stomach acid
- 2. Infections of the digestive tract
- 3. Side effects of drugs
- 4. Car sickness
- 5. Pain or intense pain
- Risk Factors
- What factors can increase the risk of experiencing nausea?
- 1. Gender
- 2. Enjoy eating certain foods
- 3. Underwent certain medications
- 4. Experiencing psychological pressure
- Diagnosis and Treatment
- How is nausea diagnosed?
- How to treat nausea?
- Home Remedies
- What are some home remedies that can treat nausea?
- 1. Eating ginger food and drinks
- 2. Drink chamomile tea
- 3. Drink or smell the lemon
- 4. Regulate breathing while inhaling aromatherapy
Definition
What is nausea?
Nausea is a term used to describe discomfort in the stomach or back of the esophagus. This sensation often causes the urge to vomit.
This condition can have different effects on each person. Some feel a little discomfort in the stomach, but others experience other symptoms such as pain in several parts of the body.
Nausea is a common symptom caused by various health conditions, especially indigestion. In addition, several types of drugs or medical procedures can also trigger this one sensation.
Nausea is a very common complaint. Almost everyone has experienced this condition. Cases of occurrence can also be found in all age groups, but pregnant women and women tend to be more prone to experience it.
The urge to vomit may not be prevented, but you can overcome it by controlling the risk factors that are there. To find out more information about this condition, you can consult directly with a doctor.
Symptoms
What are the symptoms of nausea?
Nausea is not actually a disease, but a symptom of various health problems. Depending on what the cause, this feeling of wanting to vomit can appear alone or be accompanied by other complaints.
The most common sign and symptom of nausea is vomiting. Apart from vomiting, a collection of other symptoms that also often appear are:
- fever,
- headache,
- bloated,
- dizzy,
- dry mouth,
- reduced urine production,
- feeling of weakness,
- stomach pain, and
- abdominal discomfort.
In more severe cases, the urge to vomit may appear along with a number of more serious symptoms. The symptoms referred to are chest pain, difficulty breathing normally, excessive sweating, or even fainting.
There may be other signs or symptoms not listed above. If you have anxiety about a symptom, try consulting your doctor for a solution.
When should I see a doctor?
In most cases, nausea is mild and can be controlled in a number of simple ways. You can reduce the feeling of vomiting by using natural remedies such as ginger or drinking lots of water.
However, if the problem gets worse, you must immediately contact your doctor to get the right treatment. Signs that you need to watch out for include:
- vomiting lasts for more than 24 hours,
- vomiting accompanied by blood,
- vomit is brown,
- there are signs of dehydration,
- severe headache,
- severe chest pain,
- pain in the jaw,
- excessive sweating, and
- pain in the left arm.
Everyone who experiences nausea may also exhibit a variety of symptoms. To get treatment that suits your condition, consult the symptoms you feel to the doctor or the nearest health service center.
Cause
What causes nausea?
Nausea is the body's natural response to detecting a disturbance. These disorders may come from illnesses, medical conditions, food reactions, drug side effects, and much more.
Among the many factors that cause the feeling of wanting to vomit, here are the most common ones.
1. Increase in stomach acid
Indigestion that causes stomach acid to rise into the esophagus can trigger nausea. The most common conditions are dyspepsia (ulcer) or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
Both of these diseases start from the weakening of the sphincter muscles that line the stomach and esophagus. If the sphincter muscles cannot close tightly, food mixed with stomach acid can flow back into the esophagus.
Increased stomach acid can cause a burning sensation in the chest (heartburn), burning sensation, belching, and coughing. In addition, another symptom that people with GERD and dyspepsia often experience is nausea after eating.
2. Infections of the digestive tract
Indigestion caused by infections, such as vomiting and food poisoning, is generally characterized by nausea. This symptom occurs when the germs that cause infection (bacteria, fungi, viruses, or parasites) attack the walls of the stomach and intestines.
When infecting, some types of germs can also produce toxins. The reaction that occurs then triggers an immune system response. The immune system then orders the digestive organs to produce more fluids.
The combination of infection, toxins, and excess fluid production stimulates the nerves around the stomach to produce nausea and a vomiting response. All of these mechanisms are your body's attempt to excrete harmful substances.
3. Side effects of drugs
Quoting Harvard Education, the side effects of some drugs can also cause nausea. For example, non-steroidal painkillers. This drug can irritate the lining of the stomach, causing symptoms of nausea and vomiting.
In other cases, nausea can be caused by the digestive system being unable to absorb medication. Medicines that have been taken end up left in the intestines longer, causing irritation. One of the signs is the feeling of wanting to vomit.
Chemotherapy treatment for cancer can also cause stomach discomfort to the feeling of wanting to vomit. The higher the dose of medication given, the worse the sensation of nausea will be.
In addition, the interaction of two drugs taken at the same time can also cause nausea. So to avoid these side effects, pay attention to the instructions on how to use the drugs listed on the label or consult your doctor or pharmacist further.
4. Car sickness
Nausea and vomiting are often experienced by people traveling in vehicles such as cars, planes or ships. This condition is apparently caused by mixed signals sent by the eye and inner ear to the brain.
When in a moving vehicle, the body remains in a still position. However, your eyes and ears that look out the window during the trip will see that everything is moving backwards and causing an unusual reaction.
The part of the brain called the thalamus responds to this "oddity" by sending signals throughout the body, which are then considered "danger". The thalamus then produces reactions of nausea and vomiting as a way to stop the "danger".
5. Pain or intense pain
If your body is experiencing unbearable pain, you may also feel dizzy and nauseous. This condition usually appears when you feel pain due to certain diseases, such as pancreatitis, gallstones, or kidney stones.
Other illnesses or health conditions that can make you feel like vomiting include:
- benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV),
- ear infection,
- heart attack,
- blockage in the intestines,
- liver failure or liver cancer,
- meningitis, and
- migraine.
Risk Factors
What factors can increase the risk of experiencing nausea?
Nausea is a condition that can be experienced by almost anyone, regardless of age or other factors. However, it turns out that there are a number of factors that can increase a person's risk for experiencing this condition.
It is important to know that having one or more risk factors does not mean that you will definitely experience a disease or health problem. Risk factors can only increase your chances of developing a disease.
The following are factors that can increase a person's risk of experiencing nausea.
1. Gender
The feeling of wanting to vomit is more often experienced by women than men. This is probably closely related to hormonal changes, especially when a woman is menstruating.
Not only that, pregnant women also usually find it easier to feel dizzy and want to vomit. The hormonal surges during pregnancy have a big impact on the mother's body, including causing abdominal discomfort.
2. Enjoy eating certain foods
There are people who like to try all kinds of shapes, flavors and textures of food. However, certain foods that are too hard, spicy, soft, or fatty, can cause uncomfortable sensations in other people.
You also need to be extra careful when eating undercooked foods, because foods that are not cooked properly can increase the risk of developing nausea. This may be related to the presence of bacteria in undercooked food.
3. Underwent certain medications
People who regularly take pain relievers or are on certain medications are more prone to experience nausea. Even so, these side effects are usually harmless and do not diminish the benefits of the drug itself.
4. Experiencing psychological pressure
Psychic stress causes an increase in the production of the hormone cortisol in the body. Apart from making the heart rate faster and breathing shorter, the hormone cortisol is known to increase the production of acid in the stomach.
Diagnosis and Treatment
How is nausea diagnosed?
For people who do not suffer from any illness, there is really no special way that needs to be done to diagnose nausea. Therefore, you may not know what causes nausea until you experience other symptoms.
If the nausea is worrisome, persists, or is accompanied by other symptoms, your doctor may recommend that you undergo further tests. The types of examinations can vary, such as blood tests, endoscopy, and so on.
How to treat nausea?
Treatment for nausea depends on the underlying condition. If you want to vomit because of motion sickness, medications you can give include dimenhydrinate, antihistamines, or scopolamine patches.
In addition to drugs that target nausea in response, you can also take drugs that focus on addressing the cause. For example, you can take pain relievers, headache medication, or acid reflux drugs.
Home Remedies
What are some home remedies that can treat nausea?
Here are some ways you can treat nausea without medication.
1. Eating ginger food and drinks
Ginger has long been used to treat indigestion. It's not clear how ginger works to reduce nausea. However, one of the active substances in ginger is believed to affect the digestive and central nervous systems.
2. Drink chamomile tea
Chamomile tea is one of the mainstay herbs for treating nausea, motion sickness, and diarrhea. The tea made from this flower can help expel gas, calm the stomach, and relax the muscles that move food through the intestines.
3. Drink or smell the lemon
Lemon with its distinctive and tangy aroma can help relieve nausea. You can consume lemon by placing it in warm water and tea, or inhaling directly like an essential oil vapor.
4. Regulate breathing while inhaling aromatherapy
Breathing slowly while inhaling aromatherapy can reduce the feeling of wanting to vomit. The trick, try to inhale deeply to a count of three while inhaling aromatherapy vapors. After that, exhale and repeat the same steps.
Nausea is a complaint in the stomach which is usually followed by vomiting. Although not dangerous, the feeling of wanting to vomit may indicate that there is a disturbance in the digestive system. Try to consult this with your doctor so that you get the right treatment.
