Are dry heaves the same as nausea?

Nausea is the name given to the sensation where one feels like vomiting. It is an urge to vomit. Vomiting may or may not accompany this sensation. It is experienced as an upheaval or disturbance in the stomach. nausea is not a condition or an illness by itself, but is a symptom of various other conditions. It could be temporary and short-lived, or it could be prolonged and more serious. It can either be physical or psychological in nature. Problems occurring in the brain or organs such as stomach, liver, pancreas, small intestine and gall bladder could result in nausea. Nausea could also be caused by motion, pain, medication and disease in other organs of the body. As such diagnosing prolonged nausea is difficult. The vomiting center in the brain gets activated by various stimuli and causes the sensation of nausea. This is then followed by the act of vomiting, in which involuntary contractions take place in the stomach and esophagus which force out the contents of the stomach.

Dry heaves may accompany nausea, and can be described as attempts to vomit. The individual may feel as if he were about to vomit, but nothing is expelled from the mouth. Dry heaves are experienced in waves similar to the act of vomiting. It is essentially retching, where apart from saliva or small amounts of bile; nothing else emerges from the mouth. Dry heaves could also occur after the individual has vomited, as the vomiting center in the brain may still be functioning on high gear or may go into overdrive, even though there is nothing left in the stomach to vomit out. This may continue for a while until the system comes back to normal.

Nausea can arise due to various reasons. Morning sickness during pregnancy could be one of the causes. Most people feel nauseous while traveling, this is called motion sickness. The continuous jerking movements associated with travel m`ay not suit some people, resulting in a nauseous sensation. The nausea subsides once the movements stop. This can be prevented by taking over the counter medication. Nausea is also commonly experienced when one overeats or eats too much sugary food. Eating spoilt or stale food can also cause nausea as Indigestion takes place. Dry heaves could also occur here. Certain medications may also lead to nausea as a side effect. All these factors result in that queasy feeling that is identified as nausea.

answered by M W

Dry heaves and Nausea Information

Nausea is the name given to the strong urge to vomit. If you are feeling nauseous, it is not necessary that this feeling will be followed up with vomiting. Nausea can be the result of various things. It could be caused due to morning sickness during pregnancy, or it could be a result of extreme motion sickness. People who cannot tolerate sudden, jerky or continuous movement are generally prone to nausea. However, once the motion is stopped or arrested, the nauseous feeling also ceases. Nausea can also be caused due to having eaten spoilt or rotten food that has caused indigestion. In this case, it could also be accompanied by other symptoms such as dry heaves.

Dry heaves are also known as retching and are a symptom of nausea. If nausea is not taken care of in a timely manner, the person suffering from it will vomit. Vomiting is usually preceded by heaving. The reason for these is the reversal of normal movements of the inner body, which are accustomed to taking things in, rather than throwing them out. The stomach and esophagus work together to throw out the food that is causing nausea. This will be forced out, and this process is generally accompanied by dry heaving. After heaving a few times, the food or whatever contents need to go will be expelled.

answered by G M

Nausea queries

When you say that you feel nauseous, what you mean is that you feel sick. This means that you experience some sort of an upheaval in the stomach. Nausea is by itself not an illness. Rather it is the symptom for several different illnesses. Interestingly most of these are not related to the stomach. You feel nauseous when you travel. You may also feel nauseous when you have eaten a lot of sugary food. Some medication also causes you to experience nausea. Usually when you experience nausea, the next step is vomiting. The queasy uneasy feeling in your stomach is eased to some extent when your stomach forcefully expels its contents. Vomiting can leave you feeling drained but also better.

Dry heaves, on the other hand, are attempts to vomit. You feel as if you were vomiting. However nothing emerges from your mouth. Dry heaves are as tiring and wrenching as a proper vomit. However, you don't get the satisfaction of actually having vomited everything. Most people who experience dry heaves, wish that they could vomit so that they would then feel better. Dry heaves come in waves, much as vomit does. You will find yourself retching but only spitting out some saliva or in some cases even a small amount of bile.

answered by M W