Coping with nausea : University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Nausea means feeling sick and can occur prior to vomiting although it is not always related. It is very common in post-surgical patients and stomach motility disorders (i.e. gastroparesis).

Nausea can also be caused by infections, stress, anxiety and medications. Nausea is a predominant symptom in Nausea and Vomiting Disorders and is common in other Disorders of Gut Brain Interactions.

Your doctor may give you medicines (anti-emetics) to try and prevent you from feeling or being sick. If you have been prescribed these it is important that you take them regularly as advised.

There is unfortunately no effective dietary treatment for nausea, however this page provides some helpful tips for managing nausea that you can try for yourself.

Try to eat small regular meals and snacks throughout the day. Nausea may become worse when the stomach is empty, so eating little and often helps minimise it.
Eat slowly, chew your foods well and help your digestion by relaxing after meals (Avoid lying completely flat after eating).
Avoid highly spiced or rich fatty foods if they make your nausea worse.
Cold foods or foods at room temperature usually smell less than hot foods and may be better tolerated.
Frozen foods may also be better tolerated by some and lollies, ice pops and sorbets can provide additional fluid.

Drink plenty of fluids. Some people find sipping fizzy drinks such as ginger ale, Lucozade or soda water helpful. Herbal teas containing ginger or peppermint may also help.
It is better not to drink larger amounts of fluid (>100mls) during or before a meal or snack (leave 30 minutes before and after eating). It is fine to sip some fluid when eating. This will reduce the total amount of content in your stomach at one time.
Sucking on boiled sweets, fruit sweets, crystallized ginger and mints may help.
Sip high calorie fluids (e.g. milk, Lucozade, fizzy drinks) very slowly, a straw may help.

Specific foods to try that may help:
- Dry foods: toast, crackers or biscuits.
- Salty foods: crisps, peanuts, savoury biscuits.
- Ginger foods: ginger biscuits, ginger cake, ginger ale.
- Milky drinks: milk, milkshake, nutritional supplement drinks like Complan or Build up (available from the supermarket, pharmacy or on prescription).
- Bland foods: potatoes, rice, pasta, crackers, toast.
Avoid caffeine, alcohol and cigarettes as these can act as stimulants and upset your stomach even more.

After eating try sitting in an upright position (avoid lying down for at least two hours after eating).
Wear loose clothes and try avoiding stress or stressful situations (anxiety can make nausea worse).
Avoid strong smells as they often make nausea worse. If possible have someone else prepare your food.
Try not to sit in a stuffy room. Fresh air can help, so sitting by an open window may be useful if you are unable to go outside.
Avoid brushing your teeth just after eating.
Although first thing in the morning nausea may often be more severe it is important to have something to eat as you have not eaten all night. Dry foods / plain foods / foods with ginger may be useful to try.
Make sure that your sleep is optimised as tiredness can increase the severity of nausea. If you have been struggling to sleep for months and/or have tried improving your sleep without success you should speak to your GP.
Although it is normal for everyone at times to feel stressed, anxious or low in mood if you are struggling with these feelings and have already tried to improve them without success you should speak to your GP.