Nausea, sinking feeling or medically Nausea is a Befindlichkeitsstörungen or symptom that is mainly felt in the stomach area. Nausea is a common symptom and is not infrequently accompanied by vomiting or abdominal pain.
What is nausea?
Nausea most often occurs as a precursor to vomiting. However, the affected person does not always then have to forcefully vomit. Nausea occurs mostly as an omen of vomiting. However, it is not always the case that the person affected is forced to vomit. The feeling of nausea is initiated in the vomiting center of the brain if special stimuli have previously been stimulated in the stomach. Nausea is not infrequently accompanied by other symptoms, such as fever, dizziness, headache and sweating. Often, nausea is also preceded by or interacts with stomach pain, abdominal pain, or gastrointestinal cramps. Usually, nausea is rather harmless and passes on its own after a few hours. However, if nausea lasts longer (for several days), medical help should be sought immediately.
Causes
Nausea can have many different causes. The most common cause is an overreaction of the stomach to toxic substances ingested through food. These toxins include moldy foods, poisonous mushrooms (food poisoning), and alcohol (alcohol poisoning). In addition, pathogens, such as bacteria, can also cause nausea. However, the feeling of nausea can also be triggered by the brain itself. This is often the case, for example, with motion sickness, metabolic disorders and pregnancy. In addition to numerous diseases that are equally susceptible to nausea (see below), medications, chemotherapy and anesthesia are also among the causes.
Diseases with this symptom
- Angina pectoris
- Cholera
- Stomach ulcer
- Salmonella poisoning
- Enteritis
- Acute abdomen
- Alcohol intoxication
- Gastrointestinal flu
- Alcohol intoxication
- Gastritis
- Food poisoning
- Food intolerance
- Flu
- Typhoid fever
- Stomach cancer
- Irritable stomach
- Duodenal ulcer
- Biliary colic
Diagnosis and course
As with other symptoms, the doctor can obtain clues from the interaction of questioning and physical examination that will lead him to a correct diagnosis. Questions about previous illnesses or possible triggers (alcohol, drugs) are necessary to divine potential illnesses. Abdominal and bowel examinations initiate the physical examinations and should be accompanied by urine as well as blood tests. A computed tomography scan of the head and gastroscopy are also possible. As the nausea progresses, it usually manifests as an uncomfortable feeling in the stomach area. This is often described as a “sinking feeling”. Accompanying this is a nausea that intensifies over time, which is the main feature of nausea.
Complications
Despite its function as a protective mechanism, nausea can lead to several complications. First, nausea irritates the gastrointestinal tract, often leading to other symptoms such as diarrhea or constipation. In the long term, nausea increases the risk of inflammation in the stressed areas of the body. Nausea itself can also lead to stomach cramps, chills and attacks of pain. If vomiting occurs as a result of the nausea, a deficiency of fluids and nutrients such as electrolytes may follow. The esophagus also becomes overly irritated, increasing the risk of Mallory-Weiss syndrome or Boerhaave syndrome. In cases of frequent nausea with vomiting, the teeth are damaged in addition to the throat. Transmission of pathogens is also a possible complication of nausea with vomiting. Acutely, nausea with vomiting can lead to aspiration and subsequently respiratory insufficiency, a chronic lack of oxygen. When treating nausea, home remedies and medications may initially aggravate the symptoms. If the nausea is based on a serious disease of the gastrointestinal tract, a wide variety of complications can occur during possible surgery, always depending on the cause and the constitution of the patient.
When should you go to the doctor?
Nausea can occur for many different reasons.However, it is not always necessary to see a doctor immediately, provided that the cause can be determined with a high degree of probability. However, if the nausea occurs repeatedly or over a very long period of time, a visit to the doctor should definitely be made. In such a case, the cause of the nausea should be found out by a doctor, so that a serious underlying disease can be excluded. In many cases, a gastrointestinal infection is responsible for severe nausea. In addition, there may be other symptoms, such as an elevated temperature, vomiting and dizziness. If these symptoms are present, a doctor should be consulted as soon as possible. In such a case, a specialist can prescribe appropriate medication that will quickly and effectively alleviate the existing infection. However, if you do not seek medical treatment from a specialist, you are putting yourself at great risk. The individual symptoms may worsen considerably, making a visit to the doctor absolutely necessary. Thus, the following applies: Anyone who suffers from permanent nausea should definitely see a doctor. Only in this way can the exact cause and a possibly serious underlying disease be identified at an early stage. Otherwise, there may be acute danger to life if treatment by a doctor is waived.
Treatment and therapy
Nausea usually does not need to be treated, since gluttony or too much alcohol is mostly the cause of an upset stomach. In this case, the nausea will pass on its own after a few hours and usually does not require medical treatment. However, if the nausea occurs over several days or in the context of other symptoms, a doctor should be consulted. He or she will conduct a detailed questioning, paying particular attention to the duration and intensity of the nausea. Further examination then includes physical diagnosis, during which bowel sounds and stomach pain are examined more closely if necessary. The diagnosis usually includes a urine test and a blood test. Likewise, an ultrasound examination and electrocardiogram (ECG) may be performed in the event of nausea. A gastroscopy and X-ray examination of the stomach and abdomen are also useful.
Outlook and prognosis
In most cases, nausea does not need to be treated by a doctor. It often occurs only temporarily and then disappears on its own without further discomfort or complications. Nausea itself usually occurs only as an accompanying symptom of an illness, which is why the underlying illness should always be treated specifically. It is advisable to consult a doctor if the symptom occurs over a long period of time and cannot be associated with a specific disease. If nausea is caused by the ingestion of alcohol and other drugs, the symptom usually disappears by itself when the respective drug has been broken down by the body. Nausea and vomiting also often occur with common flu or colds and with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. In these cases, drugs can also be used to attenuate the symptom, as the patient is severely limited in his or her daily life by the nausea. Likewise, it is not possible to engage in physical activity or sports. If the symptom and the underlying disease are treated successfully, no further complications usually occur.
Home remedies and herbs for nausea
If the nausea is not based on any disease, you can very well treat it yourself with herbs and home remedies. Especially gastrointestinal teas, which are from peppermint or chamomile, make a gentle contribution to recovery. Likewise, ginger products also have a beneficial effect on the well-being of nausea.
This is what you can do yourself
Nausea usually has harmless causes and can be effectively treated with the help of some self-measures and home remedies. For digestive problems, teas made from sage, ginger or chamomile are particularly helpful. In addition, irritating and spicy foods should be temporarily avoided in case of nausea. Instead, foods that are gentle on the stomach, such as rusks and tea or salt sticks and cola, are recommended. Furthermore, sufferers should make sure that they eat many, smaller meals, drink plenty of fluids throughout the day and keep blood sugar levels stable. Anyone suffering from nausea should also get plenty of exercise in the fresh air and make sure that their clothes are loose-fitting.Pregnancy nausea may also be caused by an iron deficiency, which can be remedied by taking appropriate preparations. Alternative treatments such as aromatherapy or homeopathy can also help to alleviate the symptoms. Sometimes even simple massages, a warm bath or preparations from the pharmacy can help against nausea. It is also possible that the nausea is due to an intolerance or allergy, which can best be determined with the help of a complaint diary. Depending on the cause, further treatment steps can then be determined together with the doctor.
