Should Experiencing Nausea After Eating Be A Concern?
Almost everyone has experienced feelings of nausea after eating at one time or another, so it is by no means a rare occurrence. When experienced infrequently, it can be attributed to anything from overeating, eating too much of the wrong kind of food (spicy food or food that causes gas), or even the onset of stomach flu.
From the perspective of health and wellness, cases of nausea after eating can be rather complex to address, since there are so many possible causes, most of which are not serious, although a few may be serious. If you are experiencing nausea after eating on a fairly regular basis, it is advised you consult with a physician, if for no other reason than to get some relief. Of course you also want to determine if there is some underlying disorder that is serious enough to require further attention.
What Is Nausea? - Nausea can be described as an unpleasant feeling, often associated with a queasy stomach. Sometimes nausea brings with it an urge to vomit, but not always. When you are experiencing nausea, you may not necessarily be feeling terrible, but you're not feeling good either. Nausea is not a disease, but instead is a symptom of what could be an underlying disease, or simply a symptom of something that your body or your senses are reacting to unfavorably. Nausea can be causes by motion, car sickness, or seasickness for example, or can be triggered by certain strong odors, whether they are unpleasant or simply overpowering. Pain, stress, or one's mental state in general can bring on feelings of nausea. Nausea after eating can result from one's mental state of mind at the time, and not just from what has been eaten. To feel nausea after eating when you're under stress, having feelings of anxiety, or feeling angry about something, is fairly common.
Most often though, nausea is an indication of something not being quite right with our digestive system. In this regard, nausea can be regarded as a friend, though a somewhat unpleasant one. An onset of nausea usually tells us either to stop eating, or don't eat any more. In some cases of course, nausea is followed by an episode of vomiting, which will empty of contents of the stomach. Vomiting itself doesn't mean anything serious is wrong, but repeated vomiting can lead to dehydration, and can also be a sign that something is wrong and needs attention.
Medications Or Medical Treatment Can Trigger Episodes Of Nausea - If one experiences nausea after eating it can be the result of radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or the early stage of pregnancy. If none of these apply to you, there must be another reason. Even though you may not be undergoing chemotherapy or radiation therapy, if you are taking medications, particularly prescription drugs, bouts of nausea, including nausea after eating can occur. This is more apt to happen with prescription drugs rather than over the counter (OTC) drugs due to the fact that prescription drugs have larger or more potent dosages of some of the same substances found in the OTC drugs. If you read the instructions and cautionary notes that usually accompany your prescription drugs, there is usually a section on possible side effects. Dizziness, drowsiness, muscular pain, and nausea are very common side effects, that come with a wide range of prescription drugs.
Nausea after eating may be the result of food poisoning, or even mildly tainted food. However, if this is a regular occurrence, it could be caused by a gastrointestinal disorder of some kind. Nausea accompanied by a mild abdominal pain is not necessarily anything serious, in fact can be considered fairly common, and not usually requiring treatment. However, sharp pain and frequent bouts of nausea, especially if accompanied by vomiting, means that you should be paying a visit to your doctor. Extreme pain, accompanied by nausea or vomiting may mean a trip to the emergency room is in order.
One of the more common disorders which can bring on nausea after eating is a peptic ulcer. This is not a sudden occurrence, but needs to be treated if it is discovered to be the cause of your problem. Assuming that your medical problem, whatever it might be, isn't something that happened over night, before visiting your doctor you may want to start taking some notes as to just what is occurring. By keeping a history of your problem, you'll find yourself in a better position to discuss it with your doctor, plus any data you can provide will be very helpful to your doctor in making a diagnosis. (continued...)