The most important thing to do when fighting dizziness is to keep your head still. [1] X Research source Always get up slowly after resting to prevent head spins. Alternatively, if you get head spins, you can work through it.
Find a quiet place to sit. Breathe in slowly through your nose, allowing your chest and lower belly to rise as you fill your lungs. Let your abdomen expand fully. Then breathe out slowly through your mouth.
Remove bad odors from your environment. Ask someone to take out the trash or clean the litter box, and avoid sitting in hot rooms. Get the air flowing by opening windows or directing a fan over your face or body.
Try to have some fun and forget about the nausea. Watch a movie or talk to a friend. Play a video game or listen to your favorite album! “Better out than in”. Accept that you may vomit, and actually look forward to the relief it may provide. Getting worked up trying to avoid vomiting may be worse than actually throwing up and getting it over it. Some people will purposely induce vomiting to try to get the retching done quickly and in a more convenient time and location.
Eat small meals throughout the day, or snack on things to keep your stomach from being upset. Avoid overeating, though, and stop when you are full. [12] X Expert Source Peter Gardner, MDBoard Certified Gastroenterologist Expert Interview. 25 August 2020 Avoid spicy or greasy and processed foods such as chips, fried foods, doughnuts, pizza, etc. These types of food can make the nausea worse. [13] X Research source
This is not a long-term diet. You should be able to slowly switch to a more regular diet in 24-48 hours. You can add other easy to digest, bland foods (clear soup, crackers, etc. ) to this diet. It is important to note that if you are actively vomiting, stick to drinking clear liquids only. The BRAT diet is recommended only after about six hours without vomiting.
Nibble crystallized ginger. Make ginger tea by steeping grated fresh ginger in boiling water. Drink ginger ale that contains real ginger. Not everyone will respond to ginger. A portion of the population will not get relief from use of ginger, for unknown reasons.
For example, nausea from an upset stomach or gastroenteritis can be treated with Pepto-Bismol, Maalox, or Mylanta. Nausea from motion sickness, though, would be better treated with Dramamine. [22] X Trustworthy Source FamilyDoctor. org Family-focused medical advice site run by the American Academy of Family Doctors Go to source
For example, Zofran (ondansetron) is commonly used to offset the nausea from chemotherapy and radiation treatment. [25] X Research source Phenergan (promethazine) is prescribed for use after surgeries and to treat motion sickness, and scopolamine is used to treat motion sickness alone. [26] X Research source [27] X Research source Domperidone (sold as Motilium in the UK) is used to treat seriously upset stomachs, and is sometimes used as part of treatment for Parkinson’s disease. [28] X Trustworthy Source Mayo Clinic Educational website from one of the world’s leading hospitals Go to source
These powerful medications can have serious unwanted side effects if taken incorrectly. For example, a Zofran overdose might cause temporary blindness, hypotension and faintness, and severe constipation. [29] X Research source
This may be a good time to check for a fever. While not every illness causes elevated fever, it can help narrow down why the nausea is happening. Was it something you ate that turned bad? Food poisoning is surprisingly common. Check with other members of your household–if all of your roommates have stomachaches after eating dinner last night, it may be due to food poisoning. If you keep having issues more than a couple of days, it is possible that you may have a gastro-intestinal issue that goes beyond a “stomach bug”. There are a lot of medical reasons nausea happens, from simple to severe. A trip to your general practitioner may be in order. Severe and prolonged nausea may even be a reason to go to the ER (as discussed more in-depth below. )[31] X Trustworthy Source Mayo Clinic Educational website from one of the world’s leading hospitals Go to source
Lactose intolerance is a common cause of nausea. [34] X Trustworthy Source Mayo Clinic Educational website from one of the world’s leading hospitals Go to source The ability to digest milk comfortably as an adult is mostly limited to people of European descent, and even then many are lactose-intolerant. Use over-the-counter medications like Lactaid or Dairy Ease to help you digest dairy items, or stick with milk products in which are processed by enzymes, such as yogurt and cheese. Food sensitivities or even allergies can be another issue. [35] X Expert Source Roy Nattiv, MDBoard Certified Gastroenterologist Expert Interview. 14 October 2020. If you notice that you feel queasy shortly after eating strawberries or foods with strawberry, this may be an indicator of this problem. Food sensitivity and intolerance can only be definitively diagnosed by a qualified medical specialist. It has become trendy in some regions for people to self-identify as “gluten intolerant” and the like without any sort of medical testing. Be careful of such fads. There are some people who feel they react horribly to gluten. But sometimes the “cure” is due to a placebo effect or simply due to the person feeling better after a period of time, and ascribing the “cure” to the diet change when in fact the condition simply healed on its own.
Try fresh air, whether by rolling down a window, or taking a walk outside for a few minutes. Avoid smoking. Void spicy or greasy foods. Try to keep your head as still as possible to manage motion sickness. Antihistamines such as Dramamine or Antivert are great over-the-counter medications that can effectively treat motion sickness, as well. These should be taken about 30 minutes to one hour before travel, but can cause drowsiness. Scopolamine is a medication available by prescription for severe cases. Some people get relief from ginger and ginger products. Ginger ale (with natural flavoring), ginger root, or ginger candy can all be helpful. Avoid traveling on a very full or empty stomach.
Eating crackers, especially plain saltines, will help you feel better, but avoid large meals. Instead, snack every 1-2 hours. Ginger products such as ginger tea have been proven to help with morning sickness nausea as well. [40] X Research source
Signs of dehydration include dark urine, dizziness and dry mouth. Seek medical help if you cannot keep down liquids.
Do not drink water quickly. Take a few sips at a time, or suck on ice chips so you do not trigger a throwing up response and make things worse. Liquids should ideally not be ice-cold; cool or lukewarm is best. Especially if you are overheated, drinking very cold liquids can cause the stomach to cramp up and throw up.
Cannot keep any food or liquid down Vomit 3 or more times in 1 day Have nausea for more than 48 hours Feel weakness Have a fever Have stomach pain Have not urinated for 8 hours or more
Chest pain Severe abdominal pain or cramping Blurred vision or fainting Confusion High fever and stiff neck Severe headache Vomit contains blood or is like coffee grounds
