What is Nausea?
If you have experienced an unpleasant feeling in your stomach that comes with an uncontrollable need to vomit, then you should have a vivid idea of what nausea is. You see, some people dread pregnancies, medication, and long distances because of their motion sickness since they always feel like they are on the verge of throwing up.
Nausea refers to the stomach discomfort and uneasiness that comes before vomiting. although there are a variety of home-made solutions to manage nausea, in some instances, nausea can serve as a sign of a serious health condition that requires urgent medical attention.
Risk Factors and Causes of Nausea
Nausea is not discriminative and can affect people of all races, ages, gender, and socioeconomic background. Also, it can be caused by simple factors such as eating something that does not agree with one’s stomach to more complex factors such as:
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease: This is a disease that causes the food substances ingested by a person to move back to the esophagus.
- Viruses and Infections: Certain viral and bacterial infections can cause a person to feel nauseated and weak
- Motion Sickness: some people dread long and bumpy rides because they experience dizziness and nausea.
- Food Allergies: When a person eats food substances or spices they are allergic to, their stomach might start acting up causing them to feel nauseated.
- Medication: certain drugs and treatment plans like cancer medication are too strong and can upset one’s stomach causing them to suffer nausea.
- Pregnancy: It is possible to experience nausea in the first months of pregnancy
- Unpleasant smell food poisoning
- Anxiety: As a response mechanism to stress, anxiety can manifest through physical and psychological symptoms such as difficulties in breathing, headache, nausea, vomiting, depression among others.
Signs and Symptoms of Nausea
Nausea causes a person to feel sick to the stomach and an urge to vomit. Some of the symptoms of nausea include:
- A buildup of saliva in one’s mouth
- Sweating and fatigue
- Diarrhea
- Abdominal cramping
- Bloating
- Heartburn
- Loss of appetite
- Anxiety
- Vomiting
- Dehydration
Notably, the brain can control one’s urge to throw up. However, vomiting can give someone some temporary sense of relief because the stomach content is expelled.
When to Seek Emergency Treatment
Nausea is not always considered to be a serious condition because it often goes away after a day or two even without the use of medication. However, if you experience dehydration, constant diarrhea, blood in the vomiting, and nausea that lasts for days or suspect that you could be pregnant, you should immediately seek emergency care services.
Also, having a stiff neck with a severe headache and a rapid pulse calls for an urgent visit to the hospital. To determine the cause of your Nausea, doctors often perform a medical examination or analyze a patient’s medical history. In some instances, nausea can be a symptom of an underlying fatal health issue. Therefore, you mustn’t overlook it.
The Main Pressure Points for Nausea
One of the ways to relieve nausea is through the use of acupressure, a traditional treatment option that involves the application of pressure to specific body parts to improve blood circulation and relax muscles. As a result, one experiences some form of relief against any pain and discomfort.
One can perform acupressure on themselves, however, in some cases, a trained acupressure therapist might be needed because certain body parts can be hard to locate. Some of the pressure points of nausea are located in:
- The inner wrist
- The large intestine
- The liver
Nausea Treatment Options
Nausea can only be treated once the real cause is detected and medication prescribed. Keeping yourself hydrated also minimizes the chances for you to feel nauseated. Avoiding the triggers of nausea also prevents its onset. It is also important to maintain a healthy lifestyle by eating balanced diets and exercising regularly.
In case you have any allergies, it is crucial to communicate with your doctor so that he can prescribe you medication that will not react with your body.
