Nausea After Drinking Water: Causes & Remedies

Nausea After Drinking WaterWhy does water make you feel sick? The nauseous feeling after drinking water.

We hear all the time that water is life. We humans are roughly 60 percent of water. This Water percentage varies with age, gender, and hydration levels. While it is essential for survival, it also comes with several issues.

Drinking too much or less water can lead to different problems in health. There is a specific amount of fluid that is the need by the body to carry out various essential functions. Water has no taste but still fulfills your needs when your mouth is dry and makes you feel refreshed.

Ever felt nausea after drinking water? Well, Normally water should not do it to you. But if you are experiencing this feeling, this guide will cover most of your questions.

What is Nausea?

A condition in which your stomach feels upset and makes you feel like throwing up is known as nausea. Most of the time, it only gives you the feeling of throwing up, and sometimes it makes you vomit.

In these conditions, you can lose your appetite for food.

Possible reasons for Nausea after drinking water

Several factors can lead to such conditions. A few of them are below.

High-intensity workouts

High-intensity workouts during the summer season can often make you nauseous. It happens due to your body’s reaction to intense physical activity. It mixes up the surrounding temperature and your body’s temperature that upsets your stomach. In that situation, you lose your appetite and want to vomit.

Medical conditions

Certain medical conditions can make you feel nauseous such as stomach problems, digestive disorders, or gastroesophageal reflux disease. These diseases can become serious issues if you ignore them for an extended period.

This nauseous feeling can indicate these diseases, but it does not always mean that you have any severe problems.

Bacterial infections

Bacteria can enter your body through any open source, such as wounds, cuts, or airways. It gets inside your body and starts to increase in number, which results in a reaction in the body. This reaction makes you sick in several ways. One of them is nausea.

There can be multiple reasons for this issue or no reason at all. Now the question is, why does water make you feel sick? First of all, figure out the frequency of this issue happening.

If you are experiencing it more often and the problem seems serious, then go for professional help. Also, if this is starting to happen recently, you can try different things to overcome this issue. However, before treating the problem, let us look at various reasons that can make you feel nauseous.

Stomach is full

You may feel sick if you consume water after meals. It happens because your stomach is already full of food, and when water goes in, it further stretches the stomach. It disturbs your internal system and sends the signal to the brain. That associates a sick feeling with water.

Stomach is empty

Another scenario is that you drink water at that time when your body requires food. Although the water contains essential nutrients, it does not fulfill the requirement of food nutrition.

Your body needs energy provided by food. That is the reason when you feel nauseous after drinking water on an empty stomach, make sure to eat something.

Weather changing

Sudden weather changes can also affect water intake. During winter, our bodies do not require a lot of water as we do not sweat.

And when summer starts to kick in, we feel a disturbance in the overall digestive system as our water intake remains the same as in winters. During this time, whenever you drink water, it can trigger nausea.

Other Stomach issues

If you are experiencing nausea due to water, there might be any stomach problems. Common stomach issues that make you feel like throwing up are acid reflux, food poisoning, heartburn, viral gastroenteritis, and indigestion.

You can encounter these stomach problems due to various reasons such as eating too fast and viral infections. That result makes you feel sick when you drink water.

Water is contaminated

Contaminated water can also be the main reason for the nauseous feeling. Heavy metals, algae, pesticides, or Bacterial contamination are a few things that can cause stomach issues if they are present in your water.

Hard water contains copper, magnesium, and other minerals which are not beneficial for human consumption. Other than copper and magnesium, a heavy amount of any other mineral such as lead is toxic for you. If you are facing lead in your drinking water, you should use a more specific water filter for lead.

Consuming such water can not just make you feel nauseous. But if you continue using it for a longer time, it can cause severe health issues. Water coming from the municipal water system is already neutralized and filtered. So it is safe for consumption. But still, there is contamination in the water.

Dehydration

Dehydration is not a good sign for our body as it affects all of our internal or external features. Lesser water consumption leads to digestive disorders. That is why when you drink water. It can make you feel like you are about to vomit.

If you leave this issue untreated for an extended time, you can invite constipation, kidney pains, and other unwanted problems. Now the question is, how would you know that you are dehydrated?

Symptoms of dehydration

Following are the few symptoms that indicate the low level of water in your body

Dry mouth 

When you are thirsty all day long and have a constant dry mouth, it shows that you are dehydrated. You will also feel lethargic the whole day even if you have had your meals on time.

Chapped lips

Less water intake can dry out your mouth and breath. It can make your lips chapped and dry. Check your water consumption if you have had this problem for quite some time.

Dry and itchy skin

A good amount of water in your body regulates the required oxygen to the cells, which makes your skin look healthy and moisturized. In contrast, if you notice dryness and itchiness on your skin. It means you need to increase your water intake.

Less urination 

Another symptom of dehydration is that you are going less frequently for urination. More than 3 to 4 times visits to the washroom in a day is perfect. But less than this is not good.

Also, if you are dehydrated, it will be noticeable through the color and odor of urine. It will be dark yellowish, and the smell will be much sharper than usual.

The rise in heart rate

Water carries many functions in our body to make it work effectively. When there is a reduction in fluid levels, you will notice a frequent rise in heart rate. When there is a sudden rise in heart rate with breath shortening, you need to grab a water bottle.

Headache and dizziness

Headaches and dizziness are the most common symptoms of a dehydrated body. In case you encounter dizziness and confusion most of the time without any visible illness. It means you are not drinking much water. This situation can trigger nauseous feelings along with other problems.

More prone to seasonal infections 

Proper hydration makes sure that nutrients and oxygen are adequately regulated throughout the body and makes cells and tissues healthy. In this way, your immune system will also remain active to fight any bacteria or infection. People who stay dehydrated for an extended period can easily catch seasonal diseases. It can also be an indication of dehydration.

Constipation 

A constant low level of hydration can make it difficult for your digestive system to process the food and convert it into energy. Natural waste removal also becomes difficult due to less water consumption leaving you with another situation which is constipation. If you are experiencing such conditions,  make sure to check your water intake.

Note

Constantly staying dehydrated can result in dryness in internal organs and difficulty in waste removal. It can result in kidney stones.

Imbalanced electrolytes

Several illnesses can result in imbalanced electrolytes in your body. Constant vomiting, diarrhea, or other digestive disorders can drain your energy. And makes your body misses essentials electrolytes. It can trigger nausea with other symptoms.

Quick Remedies

Now that we know what can be possible reasons for nauseous feelings. Let us discuss some remedies to overcome this issue that you can try out right now at home.

Try changing the water temperature

If there is a Sudden weather change, make sure to drink water warm or cold according to the weather. Try this method and check if it eliminates the sick feeling.

However, make sure you are not drinking too cold water as it contracts the vessels. Therefore, avoid consuming too cold water as it is harmful to your body.

Use water filter

If you have concluded that you are feeling nausea due to water contamination, buy a water filter. Use filtered water for some time. It should end the nauseous feeling if it is happening due to contaminants in the water.

Add some flavor to plain water.

Your brain associates the sick feeling with plain water that makes you feel nauseous whenever you drink water. Therefore, you can try to add different flavors to the water.

You can infuse watermelon, mint, lemon, ginger, oranges, or rosemary in water to change the water taste. Just slice your favorite item and put them in a pitcher. Pour in filtered water and let it rest for some time for infusion. It will surely solve this problem with some taste.

Use carbonated water

Another option is using carbonated water to relieve the sick feeling in your stomach. You can use soda or fizzy drinks but make sure to use them in moderation as they contain too much sugar.

Because you are only going to drink this instead of water and too much sugar is not beneficial for health. Therefore, carbonated water is a perfect option in this case. It reduces the acidity in the stomach and makes you feel better within a few minutes.

Drink water between meal

Given that you are drinking water on an empty stomach, you are sure that causing an upset feeling in your stomach. Then try to eat something before consuming water.

Experiment with different timings, such as drinking it between meals or after eating something. Similarly, if this feeling comes when you drink water after eating, then have it during mealtime. Or you have to wait for half an hour after the meal.

Take sips of water

Most people ignore this general tip, but it is vital for a healthy internal system that you have to take small sips of water. Gulping water at once seems fascinating in hot weather when you are thirsty.

But it can trigger issues in your stomach due to sudden shock. Taking too much water in more frequently is overwhelming for your internal organs. It makes them work too hard to process it. Therefore, take a breath and keep your water bottle near you to take sips throughout the day.

Note

In case of dehydration, make sure to introduce food items for hydration instead of drinking only water throughout the day. Food items with higher water content can also eliminate dehydration problems.

Consult a doctor

The above methods should resolve the problem of sick feeling. But If you have tried all of the above methods. And still, the problem remains the same. It is time to consult a professional.

Explaining your condition to a professional can help figure out the main issue. So you can implement a proper treatment. Also, the surety of not having any severe disease is crucial. In case when you are facing this issue for longer than usual.

Final words

The vomit-like feeling after water consumption is a pretty common problem. Few changes to your habits can resolve this issue within no time. With the help of this article, you have come across a few of the factors that can lead you to nauseous feelings.

It will help you implement remedies relative to the reason that causes such a problem. If non of the solutions have worked for you and the issue seems critical, go for professional help. It is always a great idea to get a professional to advise.

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