How To Not Throw Up: Eight Tips To Avoid Vomiting

Vomiting can be an unavoidable part of life. If you are vomiting, it’s often because your brain has told your body that there is something harmful in your stomach, and it needs to be expelled. Vomiting is not an illness; rather, it is a symptom. There are various causes of vomiting, but it can be important to remember that the message to vomit comes from your brain as well as your gut. The causes for vomiting, and the tips to avoid vomiting, can be mental and physical. In this article, we’ll explore ways you can try to ease nausea. 

Why am I vomiting?

Before covering ways to avoid vomiting, let’s consider the various causes of vomiting. The

primary reasons that someone may be vomiting could include the following:

• Morning sickness in the early stages of pregnancy

• Food poisoning

• Stomach bugs, which are viral or bacterial infections

• Motion sickness or seasickness

• Migraines

• Side effects of certain treatments like chemotherapy

• Medication

• Alcohol

• Anxiety

• Severe Pain

• Concussion

• Irritable Bowel Syndrome

• Gallstones

• Acid Reflux

• An eating disorder

• Crohn’s disease

• Overeating

• Some forms of cancer

• A reaction to unpleasant smells, images, or tastes

• Heart attack

• Appendicitis

As you can see, there are many reasons, both serious and non-serious, that could cause someone to vomit. The different ways to avoid nausea and vomiting are relatively universal, so the tips below may help and apply to your situation regardless of what’s causing your symptoms. However, keep in mind that everyone is different and what works for you might not work for someone else and vice versa. It can be important to try different methods to find what works effectively for you.

Nine tips to avoid vomiting

There are many actions you can take to try and relieve nausea.

1.  Get some fresh air

Fresh air may help ease nausea and motion sickness. Ventilation may help get rid of odors that may trigger nausea. To get fresh air, open a window, sit outside, or sit in front of a fan.

2. Avoid acidic drinks

When you vomit, you lose a lot of fluids. To avoid becoming dehydrated, it can be vital to drink water and avoid acidic drinks. Take small sips over time, as drinking too much too fast could cause you to throw up once more. Acidic drinks can aggravate upper gastrointestinal issues like ulcers and acid reflux. Fluids to avoid include lemonade, pineapple juice, apple juice, orange juice, and soda. Instead, try to drink water, sports drinks, and broths.

3.   Stick to safe foods

Even if you don’t have an appetite, your body still needs food for sustenance and energy. If you are nauseous, consider bland foods that are easy for your body to digest. Eat very small meals and chew slowly. Some safe foods include crackers, pretzels, bananas, rice, and toast. Ginger has also been shown by multiple studies to aid with nausea from chemotherapy and pregnancy.  Some ways to consume ginger are as ginger tea or ginger ale. If you are experiencing an aversion to the smell of food, which is particularly common in pregnant individuals, then try sticking with cold foods like Jell-O, yogurt, pudding, and custard, which normally don’t produce strong odors.

4.   Try wrist acupressure

This traditional Chinese method of handling nausea was later confirmed to be effective by modern medicine. To try this method, apply pressure to the upper part of your wrist, underneath your palm, and massage in small circles for about three minutes. Many patients report feeling significantly healthier after trying this method. 

5.   Aromatherapy

Certain smells can be quite calming, both for nausea and relaxation. Likewise, other smells could make nausea worse. Essential oils or room diffusers may emit smells of clove, lemon, lavender, chamomile, rose, or peppermint. Some studies have suggested merely cutting open a lemon and inhaling its scent if you don’t have the tools or oils at home already. 

6.   Anti-nausea medications

If the vomiting has become such a nuisance that it’s interfering with your daily happiness and quality of life, various antiemetics might help relieve your problem. Quality medications for vomiting could include Pepto-Bismol and Kaopectate, which contain bismuth subsalicylate. These can be especially effective if your vomiting is caused by food poisoning. If your vomiting is caused by motion sickness, Dramamine and other H1 blockers work by blocking the receptors responsible for stimulating vomiting and could be more suited for your situation. 

This information in this article is not medical advice. For all guidance regarding diagnosis or treatment of nausea, please consult a licensed healthcare professional.

7.   Speak to a counselor about eating disorders

Sometimes vomiting could be a symptom of a mental health condition like bulimia or anorexia. If you believe you have an unhealthy relationship with food, exercise, or both, it’s possible you could have an eating disorder. Even if you’re unsure whether you’re experiencing a mental health condition or not, speaking with a licensed counselor can help you work through the physical and emotional stress you may be experiencing from vomiting. There are plenty of options for counselors, both online and in person. Online counseling has become quite popular in recent years because it offers the comfort of having sessions in your own home.

8.   Speak to a counselor about anxiety

Nausea can be a very common symptom of severe anxiety. The nervous system and the chemical responses between the mind and the stomach are very closely linked. When anxiety triggers your fight or flight response, it can cause nausea in the stomach. Increased focus on this nausea may lead to vomiting, particularly if you cannot use coping skills to lessen your anxious feelings. This does not mean that the vomiting is intentional. In fact, it can be a typical response to anxiety to focus on the perceived problem. A counselor may help you with your anxiety by equipping you with coping skills to control your symptoms more effectively. You can also try specific home remedies if you are experiencing nausea or vomiting from anxiety. Some options to prevent anxiety-induced nausea include:

• Eating Healthy

• Try to avoid fried foods and acidic drinks. Your stomach knows when it’s full of nutrient-rich food that it needs to stay healthy, and it’s less likely to reject foods and drinks that are beneficial to you. If you are constantly vomiting and have no appetite, eating bland foods like toast, pretzels, crackers, Jell-O, soup broth, and pudding can be helpful. Replenish your lost fluids with water and sports drinks to avoid dehydration.

• Distractions

• It can be a normal reaction to focus entirely on your nausea, especially because it can be so uncomfortable. Perhaps you are panicking about throwing up or subconsciously believe that you can avoid vomiting by focusing on the problem. However, when it comes to nausea, one of the most effective things you can do is take your mind elsewhere. This may mean focusing on your breath or distracting yourself with a book or a movie. You might find that you only feel worse when you’re thinking about how badly you feel. 

Sometimes anxiety stems from a chemical imbalance, and sometimes it stems from a negative work or home environment. A counselor can help you spot the difference between the things that are inside and outside of your control and help you find resources to get out of adverse situations.

9.  Avoid drinking alcohol

Drinking until you vomit is an example of binge drinking, and it can have very adverse effects on your physical and mental health. Remember, you don’t need alcohol to be social, fun, or calm. You can enjoy social events, dance, and relax without drinking. Further, sipping on something else like soda, water, or lemonade can also help you save money and keep you safer when out and about. 

Binge-drinking and anxiety are closely linked. While there is a social concept of drinking to ‘unwind’ after a long day, these calming effects are only temporary. Alcohol changes the chemicals in your brain and body and can often lead to anxiety later, especially if you drink excessively. It can be important not to drink to try and manage your social anxiety. Once the alcohol wears off, you may just endure more anxiety as a result.

Over time, binge drinking can lead to brain damage, liver damage, depression, obesity, and cardiovascular damage. If you find it difficult to stop binge drinking, it may help speak with a counselor, either online or in person. Many online therapists offer a free consultation, in which they can assess your current situation and advise you about whether you need further help or not. Plenty of things can cause vomiting, but there are also many options to prevent throwing up in the future. Vomiting can be an unpleasant experience, especially when it’s accompanied by excessive nausea and other symptoms. However, there are extensive home remedies and professional remedies that may be able to offer you some relief.

Online counseling with Regain

If you’re concerned that your vomiting could be the result of a mental health disorder, speaking to a professional could be helpful. Regain is an online counseling platform that provides services from the comfort of your home. While you may be feeling too sick to drive to a therapy session across town, you can still keep your appointment with Regain since everything is entirely online. Whether you choose to talk through phone calls, video chats, or in-app messaging, you can get the care and support you need with ease and convenience. 

The efficacy of online counseling 

Vomiting can have a number of causes, including medical issues, mental health concerns, and more. In each of these instances, online counseling could be a helpful resource for coping with the mental and emotional challenges these issues might be bringing into your life. In one study, researchers found that an internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) intervention was just as, if not more effective than a face-to-face treatment for non-specific chronic pain. Cognitive behavioral therapy is a form of talk therapy that helps people change their automatic thoughts and assumptions into more helpful ways of thinking. This can help improve the emotional and behavioral difficulties they’re experiencing in their life. 

Takeaway

Vomiting is an unsettling feeling. There are many different reasons why you might be throwing up, and some of them may be unavoidable. Others might be able to be managed with the right tools and techniques either from home or with a professional’s help. If you can’t figure out why you’re throwing up, it can be important to see a medical provider to get to the root of the behavior. Taking care of your general health by getting enough rest, eating bland foods, and drinking plenty of fluids can help if you’ve been vomiting. If further treatment is needed, a doctor can make recommendations. Should your vomiting be caused by a mental health condition, speaking to a licensed therapist could be beneficial. Regain can provide online therapy services from the comfort of your home, even when you’re feeling under the weather.