Nausea

Category: Digestive & Abdomen · All digestive symptoms

What it can feel like

Nausea is the feeling of sickness — a queasy, unsettled stomach and the sense that you might vomit, often with sweating, salivation and loss of appetite. It is a symptom with a very long list of causes, from the stomach itself to the inner ear, medicines and hormones.

Possible causes

A symptom can have many causes, and most are not serious. The lists below group conditions this symptom can be associated with — common causes first. They are possibilities to discuss with a clinician, not a diagnosis.

Common causes

Nausea can be associated with stomach bugs, overeating, travel sickness, migraine, pregnancy (especially the first trimester), anxiety, alcohol and many medicines, including painkillers and antibiotics.

Other possible causes

Persistent nausea can be associated with stomach or gallbladder problems, reflux, inner-ear conditions, raised pressure inside the head, kidney or liver problems, and uncontrolled diabetes.

Red flags — when to seek help promptly

Nausea with vomiting that stops you keeping fluids down
Nausea with severe headache, neck stiffness or confusion
Nausea with chest pain or severe abdominal pain
Nausea with signs of dehydration — very little urine, dizziness, dry mouth
Nausea in pregnancy so severe that you cannot eat or drink normally

What a clinician may do

A clinician will ask about medicines, alcohol, pregnancy, other symptoms and recent illnesses. Examination, blood tests and a urine or pregnancy test are common; treatment targets the cause, and anti-sickness medicines are chosen carefully according to it.

Related guides on MedicalVideos.com

Frequently asked questions

Why do so many different things cause nausea?

The vomiting centre in the brainstem collects signals from the stomach, the balance organs of the ear, the bloodstream (hormones, medicines, toxins) and the brain itself — so nausea is a shared final pathway for many unrelated triggers.

When should nausea in pregnancy be checked urgently?

When you cannot keep fluids down for more than a day, are passing little urine, feel dizzy standing, or are losing weight. Severe pregnancy sickness (hyperemesis) needs treatment and sometimes hospital fluids.

Related symptoms — Digestive & Abdomen

Abdominal pain Black stools Bloating Blood in the stool Change in bowel habit Constipation

Browse the N section of the A–Z list or return to the Symptoms A–Z hub.

Please note: This page is educational information about a symptom. A symptom alone cannot diagnose any condition, and the causes listed here are possibilities, not a diagnosis. If you are worried about a symptom — especially one that is new, severe, getting worse or not going away — please see your own clinician, who can examine you and arrange tests. In an emergency, call your local emergency number.