Nausea can be induced by a variety of factors.
No one enjoys feeling sick to their stomach, especially after a particularly delectable dinner. However, if you begin to feel sick minutes or hours after eating, there may be a deeper issue at hand. Gastroenterologist Christine Lee, MD, explains why nausea occurs after eating and what you may do to alleviate your symptoms.
Why do you feel nauseous after eating?
There are a variety of events that might produce nausea, making it difficult to pinpoint the specific cause. Stress, food allergies, food poisoning, undesirable side effects from drugs, taking too many supplements or vitamins, and pregnancy, to mention a few, are all possible reasons. Feeling nauseous after eating your favourite meals might be caused by gallbladder, liver, or pancreatic disease, as well as diabetes and thyroid issues.
Dr. Lee explains why you could be feeling nauseous.
. Infection caused by a virus or bacterium
Have you ever heard of someone being sick with a stomach bug? This is exactly what it says: if you get a viral or bacterial illness, your entire body will be affected. You may have nausea immediately after eating, which usually lasts 24 to 48 hours, but you may also experience a variety of other symptoms, such as fever, muscular pains, and joint discomfort.
"It usually affects your entire body," Dr. Lee adds. "This normally comes on quickly and fades gone on its own."
Food poisoning is number two.
Eating spoiled food might cause a bodily response. This can occur if you leave food (such as meat or dairy products) out for an extended period of time, or if your food has been mismanaged or contaminated by the person preparing it. Food poisoning appears out of nowhere. Fortunately, nausea from food poisoning goes away on its own.
"In some instances, vomiting or diarrhoea isn't necessarily a negative thing," explains Dr. Lee. "It's your body's way of getting rid of injurious agents like infections, poisons, and other substances before they're absorbed."
Everyone is affected differently by food allergies. Most people suffer modest symptoms when they first develop a food allergy. Every subsequent interaction has the potential to escalate much more quickly and result in a more strong reaction. Breaking out in a rash or hives, feeling cold and clammy, a drop in blood pressure, increased heart rate, swelling of your eyes and throat, and nausea are all instances of allergic response symptoms (or you might not feel nauseated at all).
Anxiety and stress
Even if tension and worry have been simmering for days, your body might have physical reactions. The "fight or flight" reaction in your brain kicks in, flooding your circulation with chemicals that compel your body to react. And everyone's level of this threshold is different.
"Imagine two people watching a movie. "One individual adores horror films, while the other is horrified," Dr. Lee explains. "The stress hormones that are activated in the two folks are different. While one is merely enjoying the movie, the other may feel elevated heart rate or other bodily changes such as nausea."
Heartburn can occur quickly after eating, particularly if you've eaten spicy foods or a greasy or heavy meal. This burning feeling in the upper chest and neck might sometimes make you feel sick.
Acid reflux occurs when a considerable amount of stomach acid is splashed back up into your oesophagus (throat) and stays there for a long time. It's common for many people, and it's not a symptom of anything clinically wrong. Gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD, occurs when your oesophagus is damaged by too much stomach acid, causing persistent irritation, inflammation, ulcers, and other problems.
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a kind of irritable bowel syndrome
Your intestines don't always move in the manner they should. You may have trouble transporting stool through your intestines if you have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Even though your colon is anatomically normal, it may move too quickly or too slowly.
"If you have irritable bowel syndrome and have faeces held in your colon, your nausea will grow worse because what doesn't go down will ultimately come up," Dr. Lee adds.
Asking oneself where the discomfort is originating from is one technique to determine if you have IBS. You may have acid reflux if you grasp for your chest or neck. If you reach for your belly button, though, you may have a problem with your bowels.
Overeating
Dr. Lee explains, "Your stomach can only contain so much." "If you keep eating after your stomach is full and the food is still lying there, you'll feel nauseated."
"Eating when bored" might lead to overeating. You grab for food and other items out of habit, boredom, or while multitasking, rather than eating when you're hungry.
"When we live hectic lifestyles, there's so much distraction that more and more people are grabbing things on the fly and we're not able to discriminate what we're eating when we're eating, or how much we're eating," Dr. Lee explains.
You may avoid this by attempting to maintain a schedule and scheduling regular meals whenever possible. To ensure portion control, plate your food rather than eating directly from a bag or box.
Medication
Drugs that impact your appetite, such as neurological medications, anti-seizure medications, diabetic medications, and mood-altering medications, might cause nausea. Opioid-based drugs and other pain medicines are also major causes of nausea.
Diabetic complications
Nausea can also be caused by blood sugar levels that are too high or too low. However, even if your diabetes is well-controlled, you might develop diabetes-related gastroparesis if you have a lengthy history of it (previously referred to as diabetic gastroparesis). This implies your stomach doesn't work or move as it should, and digestion might take a long time.
Gallbladder disease is a condition that affects the
You may thank your gall bladder for allowing you to consume all of your favourite fatty meals. The gall bladder stores the bile produced by your liver. The bile is then released by your gall bladder to help break down fatty meals. This vital function can be disturbed by gall bladder illness, resulting in nausea and other symptoms.
You may have nausea 15 to 20 minutes after eating if you have gall bladder disease, which is usually accompanied by stomach discomfort, diarrhoea, changes in stool (poop) colour, and occasionally unexplained weight loss.
Pancreatitis is a disease that can be caused by gallstones, alcohol consumption, autoimmune illnesses, and other factors. When you eat, your pancreas creates enzymes to break down the food, but if your pancreas is inflamed or injured, it may not produce enough enzymes to complete the task.
"Abdominal discomfort, nausea, diarrhoea, and unexplained weight loss can all be symptoms of pancreatic disorders," explains Dr. Lee.
Ischemia of the mesenteric vessels is a condition that occurs over time.
This disorder, also known as intestinal ischemia syndrome, occurs when blood flow to your digestive organs is disrupted. A development of plaque in your arteries or hardening of your arteries, as well as persistent low blood pressure, vascular inflammation, and other factors, can all contribute to this.
People who are older, have a smoking history, high cholesterol, or other vascular problems such as coronary artery disease or peripheral vascular disease, to mention a few, are more at risk for this condition.
How can you get rid of nausea after a meal?
Conservative treatment, according to Dr. Lee, is nibbling on saltine crackers, consuming tiny doses of ginger, and sleeping. You shouldn't overwork yourself, but if you're not feeling well, there are some simple things you may do to alleviate the "sick" sensation of nausea.
The most crucial thing you can do is stay hydrated and get some rest. You should also keep track of when you feel sick, what caused it, how long it lasted, and what helped you feel better. This is all crucial information that will assist your doctor in making a diagnosis.
"If it continues coming back or doesn't improve or resolve on its own, that's not normal," Lee recommends.
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