Hunger-induced nausea?

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  • Does anyone else ever get nauseous if they let themselves get over-hungry??

    I'm sick (cold/congestion), so my boss sent me home from work, and I crawled into bed and slept all afternoon/evening.... and as a result, forgot dinner.
    I woke up now, at 12:30 am, nauseated like you wouldn't believe. I have this happen occasionally... if I ever don't get food shortly after the hunger pangs start, I get NAUSEOUS. I went downstairs to grab some cereal, took a handful, chewed it down... it made it halfway down my throat, then made it to the bathroom just in time to throw up.

    I sat there, even more nauseous... and it didn't abate until I managed to get a few handfuls into my stomach and sitting for a minute. When I'm nauseous like this, the LAST thing I want is to force more food into my stomach, but it's the only thing that stops it.

    What is UP with this??? Is it some kind of low blood sugar thing? I don't often forget/not get to eat, because I'm a big fan of food, but once every few months, when hunger pangs are temporarily neglected because of inconvenient timing, this nausea rolls in... anyone have similar experiences??
  • I definately have experienced this! Not everytim i leave myself hungry, but sometimes i just feel sick to my stomach, not to the point of throwing up yet, but seriously seriously nauseous, and your right it goes away as soon as your stomach has registered there is food in it!
  • i definately get that too! i think it might be a blood sugar thing
  • I have found a definite correlation between low blood sugar and nausea. never let it go to the point of actually getting sick. but you're right, it makes it hard to eat!
  • You might want to keep a small packet of raisins or other high-sugar food on you and eat these 15 grams of fast-acting carbs immediately when you feel this way. If the feeling goes away, it is most probably low blood sugar.
  • I get that. I also get rocking migraines if I don't eat for a while, and those then turn into the nausea. I find it easier to sip some sort of beverage (non-water) slowly until my stomach calms down, and then I can eat. I don't generally advocate soda, but nothing clears this up for me better than a dr. pepper. I think its just the rush of sugar and carbs. Granted, I don't have a 20 oz bottle, but those tiny cans are just enough to make me feel better.

    I think juice would also work, but for me I need the carbonation/caffeine to get rid of the concurrent migraine.
  • I get that way with around 6-7 hours without food. I'm "borderline" hypoglycemic, as well. They told me that if I get shaky, nauseated, etc., to NEVER eat sugar-filled food, because that'll get you UP but make you crash even sooner. They suggested protein-filled snacks.

    But I guess if you're not far out from eating a meal, a little sugar wouldn't hurt...
  • I get this way, and my dad does as well (he's a lot worse and actually turns into quite the monster if he doesn't get food on time). His father, my grandfather, was the same way... but he had diabetes. It's always been our fear that our nausea was a sign we were getting it too... but every single doctor and blood test we've had has come back negative for diabetes or pre-diabetes so.... *shrug*

    I guess normal people can have low blood sugar moments too from not eating often enough.

    Now that I do the 5 to 6 small meals a day diet thing... it happens a LOT quicker.... but not as hard for some reason..... weird.
  • i get nauseous ALL the time especially in the morning. Which makes it really hard lately to want to eat breakfast. But I usually force something down. I can't say though that mine goes away quite like that especially lately...takes a litttle bit
  • Yep, for sure!

    If I leave eating for to long I will feel nauseous and have dizzy spells. I sometimes also get mild shakes. But this is when I haven't eaten in 6-7 hours and generally through the day though occassionally i might wake up this way (rare loll). I'll also be cranky and short tempered.

    Me without food = scary!

    :P
  • I SO understand. I get this really bad in the mornings, when I wake up the last thing on my mind is breakfast!
    I tend to take the juice path, a little something sweet in my stomach gets rid of the nausea and gives my appetite a gentle nudge.
  • I get this with migraines, I just can't eat, but also can't NOT eat. I do was stella does, drink pop. The bubbles calm my stomach, and the sugar gets me going. Whatever you do, do NOT eat apple sauce... tried that once when I had the flu... there is nothing worse than throwing that up!

    -Aimee
  • I don't get nauseous, but I get severe migraines. Sometimes I do get a little shaky. I guess everyone just reacts differently with low blood sugar. I know what you mean though. The last thing I want to do is eat when I have these migraines.
  • I once had some food poisoning and was continuously ill over 6 hours. By the end, every time I rolled over I was sick and I had to call my Mum because I couldn't take care of myself I couldn't even keep anything down.
  • Having low blood sugar, riding in a hot car, with the scent of cinnamon raisin bread wafting from the back seat--worst feeling of my life.

    Other things that happen when I'm overly hungry: I get cold, I lose motor control (shaky hands, not quite steady walk), and the thought of even my favorite foods makes me nauseated. My doctor suggested it was hypoglycemia, but a blood test showed that my fasting blood glucose levels are within normal range--so apparently most people go through this sometimes.

    I've found that gum helps. After a few minutes of chewing a fruity flavor the sickness ebbs away and I feel "normal" hunger.