Acid reflux can cause nausea, an upset stomach, and a sour taste in your mouth. You can manage this with home remedies like ginger, and you can also speak with a doctor about medication.
Acid reflux and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) can cause nausea. This can range from mildly unpleasant to severe enough that it interferes with your daily life. In some cases, it can also cause vomiting.
Recognizing GERD symptoms and treating them under the supervision of your doctor can help you avoid acid reflux-induced nausea.
If home remedies don’t help, it’s a good idea to speak with a healthcare professional about additional treatment options.
Read on to learn more about acid reflux and nausea.
You may be wondering how your acid reflux can make you nauseous.
Acid reflux
This allows stomach acids and food particles to flow back up your esophagus, into your throat.
If you have a weak LES, you may have more problems with reflux if you eat the following foods:
- fried, greasy, or high fat foods
- tomatoes and tomato-based products
- citrus fruits and juices
- spicy foods
- chocolate
- peppermint
- carbonated beverages
- caffeinated beverages
- alcohol
- coffee
People who have acid reflux often experience a sour taste in their mouth from stomach acids. The taste, along with the frequent burping and coughing associated with reflux and GERD can lead to nausea and vomiting.
Indigestion, or heartburn, is another symptom that can contribute to nausea. This is the sensation produced by refluxed stomach acid and contents irritating the esophagus.
You can generally treat acid reflux-induced nausea with a combination of lifestyle changes, home remedies, and medication. Some steps you can take include:
Lifestyle changes and home remedies
If you have nausea, you can try some simple lifestyle changes to manage your symptoms.
- Change your eating patterns: Try to eat smaller meals and avoid high fat foods. Reflux and nausea can occur when your stomach is too empty, so try to eat smaller and more frequent meals.
- Stop smoking: Nicotine products can weaken your LES, increasing your symptoms. If you smoke, you may want to quit in order to ease your symptoms.
- Wear loose-fitting clothes: Tight-fitting clothes put additional pressure on your stomach, which can contribute to acid reflux and nausea. Loose-fitting clothes may be a more comfortable choice.
- Stay upright after eating: Staying in an upright position for 2 to 3 hours after eating can keep your stomach acid down.
- Elevate your head when you sleep: Place 6-inch blocks under the head of your bed to assist gravity in keeping the acid in your stomach.
- Harness the power of ginger: Ginger is a
natural nausea remedy , so you can try ginger tea, ginger chews, or ginger supplements.
Medications
If lifestyle changes and home remedies don’t help, you may want to give medication a try. Options include:
- Antacids: Antacid tablets or liquids may curb nausea and acid reflux by reducing stomach acids. These are available over-the-counter.
- Proton pump inhibitors: This is a prescription medication that can reduce the amount of acid produced by your stomach, lessening reflux and its associated symptoms.
- Antiemetic drugs: These are other prescription options used specifically to reduce nausea and motion sickness.
People are often able to reduce acid reflux symptoms and nausea by making lifestyle changes. You should still discuss acid reflux with your doctor in order to get a proper diagnosis.
Your doctor can help you come up with a treatment plan, which may include changing your diet or adding medications.
Let your primary care doctor or gastroenterologist know if you’re unable to eat due to nausea, as this may put you at risk for dehydration.
