Imagine waking up in the middle of the night because of a burning sensation in your chest. This scenario could be due to acid reflux, a common symptom of GERD. Factors like spicy food, wearing tight clothing, etc., can lead to an episode of acid reflux. Consequently, you’ll experience many symptoms like hiccups, chest pain, hoarse voice, and more. Nausea is a symptom often associated with acid reflux. Hence, can acid reflux cause nausea?
To answer, acid reflux can cause nausea and vomiting. In this blog, we’ll go over the relationship between acid reflux and nausea. Moreover, we will mention how to treat nausea related to acid reflux.
How Acid Reflux Can Cause Nausea
You might be wondering how acid reflux is related to nausea. A number of reasons could result in acid reflux nausea, including what triggered acid reflux in the first place.
The lower esophageal sphincter (LES) is a ring of muscle separating the esophagus and the stomach. Sometimes, LES does not close tightly after you have eaten your food or had a drink. As a result, stomach acids flow back up toward the throat, causing a burning sensation. Some individuals have a weak LES, which could cause discomfort if they eat certain foods. These include oily, greasy, and fatty foods. Moreover, citrus fruits, spicy food, chocolate, and caffeinated or carbonated beverages can also cause acid reflux.
Acid reflux can cause a sour taste in the mouth due to the corrosive stomach acids. Coupled with frequent coughing and burping, the sour taste leads to nausea. Some individuals even vomit due to acid reflux. Other than this, GERD or acid reflux also causes indigestion and heartburn, which can contribute to nausea.
How To Stop Nausea From Acid Reflux?
You can receive acid reflux treatment from an experienced professional. Apart from professional treatment, you can try lifestyle changes, home remedies, and medications to improve your symptoms. The following tips might help reduce nausea due to acid reflux:
- Make changes to your eating patterns.
- Eat small meals frequently, as nausea and acid reflux can occur on an empty stomach.
- Reduce fat intake
- Refrain from smoking as it can weaken the LES.
- Stay in an upright position two to three hours after you eat to ensure the strong acids remain in your stomach.
- Sleep with an elevated head. You can place 6-inch blocks under the head of your bed as it helps assist gravity and keep the acids in your stomach.
- Wear loose-fitted clothes. In particular, avoid wearing trousers or shirts that are tight at the abdominal area.
- Chew gum to reduce symptoms of acid reflux.
- Take antacids
- Ask your doctor for a prescription.
What Should I Do?
Are you experiencing the symptoms of acid reflux? Acid reflux can cause nausea and even vomiting. This is why it is important to avoid this condition by visiting your trusted healthcare provider. Consult your doctor for treatments and lifestyle changes to neutralize your acid reflux. At Nova Bariatrics, your health is our utmost priority. So why the wait? Dial (469) 639- 0953 to talk to us now and book an appointment with our experts.