Chronic nausea happens when the feeling of nausea sticks around or keeps coming back over days or more. It can be a sign of various health issues, like Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) or disorders of anxiety.
Chronic nausea is different from acute nausea, which shows up suddenly during a viral or bacterial infection or motion sickness.
Compared to chronic nausea, acute nausea is short-lived and usually goes away quickly or is easier to handle.
In this article, we'll cover what chronic nausea is, what causes it, and how to treat it.
What is chronic nausea?
Chronic or persistent nausea is feeling sick for four weeks or more. The nausea often comes and goes and changes in intensity, but the relief doesn't last and it keeps coming back.
Even though the person may feel like vomiting, they never actually do. In cases where vomiting happens, it can cause dehydration or other potential complications.
Common causes of chronic nausea
Sometimes chronic nausea starts after a trigger, like eating food. It then gets better but comes back after the next meal.
Common causes of chronic nausea can include:-
Pregnancy
Chronic nausea is common during pregnancy. So-called "morning sickness" can last all day and through pregnancy as a whole, though it's more common during the first three months. While it doesn't harm the baby, it can be hard to deal with.
Also, there is a condition called 'hyperemesis gravidarum' where vomiting and nausea are so severe it's hard to keep food and water down. This serious and ongoing condition can cause weight loss and dehydration.
Gallbladder diseases
The gallbladder is a digestive organ that releases bile to break down food to help digestion processes.
Gallbladder diseases include inflammation, blockages affecting the gallbladder, and gallstones, which are common and cause nausea.
Gallstones can cause pain in the back, shoulder, or upper belly, nausea, and vomiting. These symptoms often get worse after eating, especially fatty foods.
Gastroesophageal reflux disease
disease Gastroesophageal reflux It's a common condition where stomach contents come back up into the esophagus. Common symptoms include heartburn and nausea. Other symptoms might also include:-
- Pain in the middle of the chest.
- Sore throat or difficulty swallowing.
- Cough and shortness of breath.
Symptoms can get worse after eating or lying down at night. Nausea may last, especially if stomach acid reaches the throat.
Gastroparesis
Gastroparesis is a disorder where nerves in the stomach get damaged or stop working, making the digestive system take longer to move food.
This delay in stomach emptying causes chronic nausea, Along with some other symptoms including:
- Heartburn.
- Loss of appetite.
- Vomiting.
- Weight loss.
- Bloating.
- Feeling full after eating small meals.
Chronic migraine
Is diagnosed Migraine Chronic means having at least 15 migraine attacks a month for three months. Migraines can cause nausea before or during the headache.
Peptic ulcer
Happen Peptic ulcer When there are ulcers in the stomach, small intestine, or esophagus. Most of the time, digestive ulcers happen because of infection with the stomach bacteria "H-pylori" or from using non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs NSAIDs.
Besides pain, digestive ulcers can cause nausea, along with other symptoms like vomiting and loss of appetite.
Central nervous system disorders
Conditions that affect the central nervous system, like stroke, nerve infections, and brain tumors, can be linked with chronic nausea.
Along with nausea and headache, other symptoms of central nervous system disorders can include:-
- Confusion and memory loss.
- Dizziness and fainting.
- Pain, tingling, or numbness in the arms and legs.
- Muscle weakness or paralysis.
Hiatal hernia
Hiatal hernia happens when there’s a weak spot in the belly wall and the upper stomach pushes up into the chest through the diaphragm opening.
Hiatal hernia can cause symptoms like acid reflux, pain, and discomfort. Sometimes it causes a constant feeling of nausea.
Inflammatory bowel disease
Inflammatory bowel disease includes several conditions, such as Crohn's disease ulcerative colitis and indeterminate colitis.
These conditions cause inflammation in the digestive system and can come with chronic nausea. Nausea may also result from the meds used to treat them.
Bowel obstructions
Bowel obstructions happen when the small or large intestine gets blocked. This can be caused by several things, including bowel twisting.
Pain is usually the main symptom of bowel obstructions, but nausea and vomiting can happen in some cases.
Pancreatitis
The pancreas is the organ that releases digestive enzymes into the stomach and hormones into the bloodstream. Pancreatitis causes chronic nausea, along with some other symptoms including:-
- vomiting.
- fever.
- pain that gets worse after eating.
Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome
POTS is a blood flow disorder marked by a big rise in heart rate within minutes of standing. Symptoms include dizziness, headache, palpitations, and blurry vision.
Digestive symptoms linked to this condition may include:-
- Chronic nausea.
- Vomiting.
- Severe diarrhea or constipation.
Anxiety disorders
Anxiety disorders are mental health issues where people feel excessive fear and distress. These disorders can cause many physical and mental symptoms, including chronic nausea and other digestive problems.
Other symptoms of these disorders may include:-
- Irritability.
- Difficulty concentrating.
- Tiredness.
- Insomnia and trouble sleeping.
- Headaches and muscle pain.
- Sweating.
- Diarrhea.
How to treat chronic nausea at home
A big part of treating chronic nausea is dealing with the root cause from the conditions listed above.
Besides ignoring the cause, these methods might help ease chronic nausea and stop vomiting, including:-
- Try breathing slowly.
- Eat light foods that probably won't cause nausea, like bread, banana, and crackers.
- Avoid eating spicy, fatty, processed, or sweet foods.
- Keep hydrated by drinking cold water or ginger drink or tea.
- Avoid drinks with caffeine and sodas, like coffee and soda.
- Don't leave your stomach empty or too full. eat smaller meals more often.
- Take mint by mouth or use it as aromatherapy.
- Avoid exercise after eating. instead, try lying down and relaxing.
- Try to eat when you feel the least bit of nausea.
- Try acupressure between the two big tendons on your wrist or wear anti-nausea bracelets that use this method.
You need to see a healthcare provider.
See a healthcare provider right away if nausea lasts more than a week. Also, some cases need urgent medical care like the following:-
- Pregnancy cases.
- Vomiting or diarrhea lasting more than 24 hours.
- Signs of dehydration showing.
- Constant dizziness.
- High fever or fever.
- Confusion.
- Severe belly pain.
- Black or tarry stools.
- Blood in stool or vomit.
- Unusual headache attacks.
In the end, chronic nausea is a vague symptom and its exact cause can be hard to find. Often, other symptoms like pain, fever, or vomiting help find the cause. So it's important to watch for those and discuss them well with your healthcare provider.
