There are few things worse than throwing up when you're already sick. Stomach flu can be a crippling disease that prostrates people for a couple of days. Fortunately, there are some ways to reduce your chances of throwing up when you have this problem. Here is more information.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Drink and Eat to Prevent Vomiting
Step 1. Drink some water
Vomiting can cause dehydration, so you'll need to replenish lost fluids with water. Remember that small sips are enough; if you threw down a glass in one go, it would irritate your stomach and you could vomit again.
- Drink in small sips every 15 minutes after putting back. Do this for 3-4 hours to hydrate yourself.
- If you feel a little nauseous, start rehydrating by drinking only about a tablespoon of water every 15 minutes. If you haven't vomited for over an hour, double the amount.
- Continue to gradually increase your fluid intake until you drink at least 240ml of water every hour. Do this until you go back to urinating regularly, every 3-4 hours.
Step 2. Suck on an ice cube or popsicles
Ice has three benefits: you will slowly begin to hydrate and numb the retching. In addition, cubes and popsicles will help eliminate the bad taste that remains in the mouth after vomiting.
Step 3. Consume other clear liquids
Wait a few hours after vomiting before drinking anything other than water. After a few hours you will need to take fluids containing electrolytes, minerals present in the body that serve to balance the metabolic process. Vomiting leads to a decrease in electrolytes, so drinking something that contains plenty of it will help restore metabolic processes.
- If you vomit again after starting to rehydrate, take a break to rest your stomach, then resume taking clear liquids in small sips.
- A great option is to consume an electrolyte solution, such as Pedialyte or a generic equivalent. However, it is better to avoid sports drinks, as they are richer in carbohydrates than electrolytes.
- Once you have vomited, wait a few hours before drinking clear liquids. Then take them in small sips, every 15 minutes. By clear liquids we mean: apple juice, electrolyte drinks such as Pedialyte, clear tea and light broth.
Step 4. Drink ginger tea
Ginger tea has been shown to decrease the feeling of vomiting. Ginger has a calming effect on the stomach, decreases the chances of feeling nauseous and getting sick. You can buy it at a herbalist's shop or at the supermarket.
Alternatively, you can chew and then spit out a small piece of ginger root
Step 5. Switch to light food
Once your body accepts water, ice and clear liquids and you feel less nauseous, you can try eating simple, stomach-friendly foods. Eat only if you haven't rested for at least four hours. Crackers and cookies can help a lot. Other simple foods include:
Bananas, rice, pureed apple and toast
Method 2 of 3: Avoid What Causes Vomiting
Step 1. Stay away from smells, tastes and anything that bothers you
If the strong smell of car air freshener makes you nauseous even when you're not sick, then you should avoid it. Everything you see, smell, taste can be a vomiting trigger, so knowing what makes you nauseous first is really important.
For example, some feel it when they see blood, even if it's in a movie. Others when they eat gorgonzola, or try the reflex to vomit at the smell of garbage. Whatever your trigger source, stay away from it
Step 2. Avoid carbonated water, caffeine, and acidic drinks
There are three types of liquids that can stimulate vomiting as well as irritate the gastrointestinal tract. You will have to let them go for at least a day after putting them back.
- Fizzy drinks include all types of cola and beer.
- Acidic ones include orange juice, grapefruit, and other citrus-based drinks.
- Caffeine-based drinks are coffee, tea, and energy drinks.
Step 3. Avoid spicy and fried
They are clinically known to induce vomiting. Since the stomach has to work twice as much to digest them, the result will be that you will likely vomit. Wait at least 48 hours after you stop throwing up before eating any spicy or greasy food.
Step 4. Avoid the car
If you suffer from motion sickness, vehicles are off limits to you. When you have stomach flu, you already have a tendency to throw up in yourself. Driving would only increase the odds. This is because rapid changes in direction (such as a U-turn especially if you are sitting in the back) stimulate the buccal labyrinth receptors in the inner ear. From here, the impulses are transmitted through the brain to the cerebellum, where the vomiting center is located, making you physically sick.
If you really can't avoid going by car, ask the driver to make the turns smoothly and drive carefully, so as not to exacerbate the movements. This will decrease the chances of getting sick
Step 5. Don't smoke
You probably already know that smoking is bad for your health. However, it's even worse if you're trying to stop throwing up. When you smoke a cigarette, you inhale nicotine. Nicotine relaxes the lower esophageal sphincter (the lower opening of the esophagus) which makes stomach acids even more likely to irritate the esophagus, causing you to vomit.
Step 6. Avoid some non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
They are gastric irritants. These drugs inhibit the body's production of prostaglandins, the natural chemical components that act as messengers and promote inflammation. However, certain prostaglandins still serve to protect the stomach walls, so these drugs negate the protective effect, leading to vomiting irritation.
Such drugs include aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen
Method 3 of 3: Using Relaxation and Distraction Techniques
Step 1. Think positively
Vomiting starts in the brain, so the mental perception of nausea can lead you to feel bad. Because of this, you will need to take your attention away from the thought of throwing up, imagining places or other things that can relax you. When you start feeling nauseous, imagine something that distracts you and calms you down. Listen to music to support these positive thoughts.
For example, when you start feeling nauseous, imagine Christmas morning. Think of your family all around you, the tree that glows illuminated, the wood in the fireplace, etc
Step 2. Watch a movie or read a good book
Just like positive thoughts, doing an activity that absorbs you completely will help you stop throwing up. When your mind is busy, you are less likely to feel nauseous and then throw up.
Watch movies that don't remind you of nausea though. For example, if you are bothered by blood, avoid horror or vampire ones. Focus on comedies, dramas, love stories, etc
Step 3. Get some air
If you feel too weak to go outside, you should open the window and let the fresh air in. It can relieve the feeling of nausea a little. If you can, put a chair outside and sit in the air. Let the breeze calm you and take a look at your surroundings. Focusing on something nice while you breathe can keep you from throwing up.
Step 4. Stand straight
Keep your head at a 45 to 90 degree angle in bed. At the same time, raise your feet above your body (use pillows). This position can keep gravity in check and thus prevent you from throwing up. Keeping your feet high above your center of gravity will also improve blood circulation.
Advice
- Rests. The fastest way to recover from nausea is to get plenty of rest and let your body heal itself.
- Take deep breaths through your nose and exhale through your mouth.
Warnings
- See your doctor if vomiting persists for more than two days in adults and one day in children.
- If you gush up, see your doctor right away as you may have a more serious problem.
