- How to stop throwing up
- 1) Eat Light and Bland Food
- 2) Take Activated Charcoal
- 3) Replenish the Fluids
- 4) Don’t eat or drink shortly after vomiting
- 5) Don’t rush when eating
- 6) Take medicine if necessary
- 7) Practice deep breathing exercises
- 8) Try wrist acupressure
- 9) Take electrolytes and vitamins
- 10) Try aromatherapy
- Conclusion
- Source
Countless stomach problems can give you the urge to throw up, such as food poisoning, stomach flu, pregnancy, migraine, intestinal congestion, appendicitis, labyrinthitis, kidney infections, heavy alcohol use, etc.
Nausea and vomiting are a symptom – not an illness. They are the body’s natural defense mechanism that keeps you from getting sicker.
Here, you can learn more about how to stop vomiting in adults.
How to stop throwing up
When nausea turns to vomit, you should know how to stop throwing up. That’s because you lose lots of fluids when you throw up.
Although one vomit may not cause any problems, multiple vomits in a short amount of time can cause dehydration and electrolyte imbalance.
Other symptoms may also affect the body, such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, and dizziness. If the throwing up is a simple case of stomach flu, indigestion, or pregnancy, you can manage it with home remedies. But, if nausea gets severe, you can use medicine to stop throwing up.
The options below can aid people who don’t know how to stop vomiting.
1) Eat Light and Bland Food
Want to know how to stop vomiting? Eat a bland diet.
Easily digestible, low fiber, and soft foods don’t stress out your gastrointestinal (GI) tract. They are the pillar for effective healing.
Foods to eat:
- Toast
- Crackers
- Mashed potatoes
- Soup (such as chicken soup with ginger, turmeric broth, miso soup, lentil soup, etc.)
- Lean meats (e.g., grilled, baked, or steamed without extra fat)
- Canned fruit, including melons, bananas, and apple sauce
- Gelatin
- Fat-free or low-fat dairy products
Foods to avoid:
- Fatty food
- Greasy and fried foods
- Foods with strong smells
- Spicy foods
- Foods high in sugar
- Tough meats (such as clod roast, rib steak, beef, etc.)
- Vegetables that cause gas (such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, etc.)
To know how to stop vomiting in adults, it is important to incorporate foods with a soft texture. They should have mild seasoning, higher pH, and lower fiber.
Crackers work to mitigate the vomiting process and can be useful with an irritated stomach lining.
Don’t forget to avoid overeating, consuming foods with powerful scents, and foods with low nutrient value.
Also, don’t go to bed too soon after you eat. Make sure you are sitting up, so the body can process and digest the food properly.
2) Take Activated Charcoal
Activated charcoal is a practical natural remedy for nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Healthcare providers recommend charcoal pills to treat drug overdose or food poisoning. But this remedy could also prove useful for stomach bugs that make you vomit.
Charcoal can relieve bloating and gas, decrease cholesterol, and prevent hangover symptoms.
The general recommended dose is 500 mg to 1,000 mg of charcoal a day with a glass of water.
3) Replenish the Fluids
To know what to do when you can’t stop throwing up, the first step is to start drinking fluids. When you experience morning sickness, problems with digestive health, motion sickness, or an alcohol hangover, you can lose fluids from vomiting.
To get your immune system back on track and manage the weakness and dry mouth, you should flush out the toxins from the system. The best way to do that is by replenishing the fluid intake.
You can drink:
- Water
- Mint tea
- Ginger ale
- Lemonade
- Cinnamon tea
- Grapefruit juice
Mint tea is a popular home remedy for stomach aches, vomiting, and nausea. Peppermint oil might also ease some of the pressure and soothe the body.
Ginger ale can also be useful for those looking to know how to stop throwing up with the flu. Ginger can offer nausea relief, muscle pain, morning sickness, and pain from menstruation.
Tip: Can’t stop throwing up? Try a ginger root remedy. People like to cut the chunk off and put the ginger root in their mouth, like gum. You can suck on it or bite it. Even the scent can be soothing.
Although lemonade can relieve nausea, citrus might trigger migraine in some people. So, it is important to eat and drink products that are good for your specific health problem.
Cinnamon tea is another herbal remedy. When you mix cinnamon with some honey, you can boost your vitality and provide the body with antioxidant properties.
Some people like to drink small amounts of grapefruit juice. Even though drinking grapefruit juice with a meal can help the body digest the food with ease, some people may not be able to handle the juice. It makes their nausea worse.
So, be sure to listen to your body when you are making choices on what to eat and what to avoid.
4) Don’t eat or drink shortly after vomiting
Wondering how to stop throwing up when sick? Give your stomach a break.
Many people make the common mistake of eating food right after vomiting. It is true that you will start feeling hungry. But, by eating so soon after throwing up, you can stress the GI tract.
You shouldn’t eat anything for 15 to 20 mins after vomiting.
By resting, you reduce the odds of throwing up when you do start drinking or eating foods again.
5) Don’t rush when eating
“I can’t stop throwing up – what now?”
It takes time for the body to recover. But, if you are eating too fast and in big portions, you can worsen an upset stomach.
In cases such as these, it is important to go slow, chew carefully, and eat smaller but frequent meals. This way, the body has a better chance of keeping all the nutrients you provide and can digest the food with ease.
6) Take medicine if necessary
Use medicine to stop throwing up when the nausea is putting a strain on your body.
Anti-nausea medicines are called antiemetics. A few over-the-counter medications are at your disposal.
Bismuth subsalicylate, for example, is used for treating the symptoms of stomach flu and diarrhea. Antihistamines can help with motion sickness.
If you have headaches, muscle pain, back pain, or stomach pain, you can use painkillers like ibuprofen.
Check the medication leaflet or consult a healthcare expert on how to use the medicine.
7) Practice deep breathing exercises
Deep breathing relaxes the stomach and allows you to pace yourself.
According to a 2020 clinical trial, breathing exercises helped decrease chemo-induced vomiting, nausea, and retching in patients with breast cancer.
Deep breathing calms the mind and anxiety when you can’t stop throwing up.
8) Try wrist acupressure
Acupressure is an ancient remedy for curbing symptoms of vomiting and nausea.
Research shows that applying pressure to the P6 (Neiguan) acupuncture point helped curb chemo-induced vomiting and nausea. The P6 acupoint is located on the inner arm close to the wrist.
To start the acupressure treatment, put three fingers across your wrist. Rub the point with circular motions for 2 to 3 minutes. Use the same technique on the other wrist.
9) Take electrolytes and vitamins
If you are sweating profusely, have a strong fever, diarrhea, and vomiting, take electrolytes. This is critical for maintaining a fluid balance and managing the chemical reactions in the body.
Your body does get electrolytes or their components from the drinks and food you consume. But, when the system can’t keep that food inside, you need additional support.
For people at risk of nutrient deficiencies, it can be a good idea to use vitamin B. Vitamins like B complex help ease nausea, restore your energy levels, and curb the odds of high blood pressure.
10) Try aromatherapy
Wondering how to get yourself to stop throwing up? Aromatherapy can be a practical approach – especially if scents can calm you. When you pair aromatherapy with deep breathing, you can calm the mind and ease anxiety.
Scents that could have beneficial effects on nausea include:
- Clove
- Peppermint
- Ginger
- Lavender
- Lemon
- Fennel
- Rose
If you have serious respiratory conditions, like asthma, consult a specialist before using essential oils for nausea.
Conclusion
Many people are looking to learn how to stop yourself from throwing up. Vomiting saps your energy and forces the body to lose more fluids than normal.
To keep the vomiting at bay, it is important to use home remedies. Consuming a bland diet, nausea-friendly drinks, and medicine can give the body the support it needs.
Be careful not to go overboard with the food or use more medicine than normal. You can’t speed up the healing process. All you can do is create a good environment for boosting the natural rejuvenation process. If nausea becomes a problem, talk to your GP.