If you’re feeling nauseous right now, the fastest relief comes from slow, deep breathing, a sip of cool water, and fresh air on your face. Most nausea passes on its own within minutes to hours, but there are several things you can do to speed it along and feel more comfortable while it lasts.
Breathe Slowly and Deeply
This is the simplest thing you can try immediately, and it works through a real physiological pathway. Slow, deep breaths from your diaphragm activate your vagus nerve, which runs from your brain to your gut and acts as a brake on your body’s stress response. When you’re nauseous, your nervous system is often in a heightened state: shallow breathing, faster heart rate, tense stomach. Deep breathing reverses that cycle.
Draw in as much air as you can, hold it for about five seconds, then exhale slowly. Repeat this rhythmically for a few minutes. You may notice the nausea start to ease within the first minute or two. If you can, step outside or sit near an open window. Cool air on your face provides additional relief, and the CDC lists fresh airflow as a helpful distraction for nausea related to motion sickness.
Sniff Rubbing Alcohol
This one sounds strange, but it’s backed by solid clinical evidence. Holding an isopropyl alcohol swab (the kind used to prep skin before injections) about one to two centimeters below your nose and inhaling deeply can cut nausea scores by roughly 50%, with peak relief at around four minutes. In one trial, patients who sniffed alcohol swabs had a 33% reduction in the need for anti-nausea medication, and the technique worked faster than standard prescription options.
If you have rubbing alcohol at home, just open the bottle and take a few slow, deliberate sniffs. The effect is brief, lasting about 10 minutes, but you can repeat it as needed.
Try Ginger
Ginger is one of the most studied natural remedies for nausea, and it works through several pathways at once. The active compounds block serotonin receptors in the gut that trigger the vomiting reflex, reduce levels of a signaling molecule called substance P that promotes nausea in the brain, and help your stomach empty more efficiently when it’s sluggish.
A dose of about 1 gram per day (roughly half a teaspoon of ground ginger) taken for several days has been shown to reduce acute vomiting by up to 70% in clinical trials. For quick relief, ginger tea, ginger chews, or even flat ginger ale can help, though supplements deliver a more consistent dose. If your nausea is a recurring problem, keeping ginger capsules on hand is worth considering.
Press the P6 Acupressure Point
There’s a pressure point on your inner forearm called P6 that has been used for centuries to relieve nausea, and it’s the same point targeted by those anti-nausea wristbands sold in pharmacies. To find it, place three fingers across your wrist starting at the crease where your hand meets your arm. The point sits just below your third finger, roughly in the middle of your forearm between the two tendons.
Press firmly with your thumb and hold for one to two minutes, then switch to the other wrist. You can repeat this as often as you like. It won’t work for everyone, but it’s free, has no side effects, and you can do it anywhere.
Sip Fluids the Right Way
When you’re nauseous, the instinct is often to avoid drinking anything. But dehydration makes nausea worse, especially if you’ve been vomiting. The key is pace: small, frequent sips rather than gulping down a full glass.
UW Medicine recommends taking about two large sips (roughly 30 mL, or one ounce) every three to five minutes, with a goal of getting through about a liter of fluid over two hours. An electrolyte drink or oral rehydration solution is ideal, but water, diluted juice, or broth all work. If you vomit after drinking, wait 20 minutes and then slow your pace even further.
Eat Bland Foods When You’re Ready
You’ve probably heard of the BRAT diet: bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. These foods are gentle on the stomach, and they’re fine to eat when you’re at your sickest. But Cleveland Clinic no longer recommends following a strict BRAT diet for more than a day or two. It lacks calcium, vitamin B12, protein, and fiber, and for children, the American Academy of Pediatrics says it may actually slow recovery.
A better approach: start with whatever bland foods sound tolerable (crackers, plain pasta, boiled potatoes, broth) and gradually reintroduce a normal diet as your nausea improves. Avoid greasy, spicy, or strongly scented foods until you’re feeling more stable. Eating small amounts frequently is easier on your stomach than sitting down to a full meal.
Over-the-Counter Options
If home remedies aren’t enough, pharmacies carry a few options that don’t require a prescription. Bismuth subsalicylate (the active ingredient in Pepto-Bismol) can help with general stomach upset. Phosphorated carbohydrate solutions, sold as anti-nausea liquids, are taken in 15 to 30 mL doses and can be repeated every 15 minutes until the nausea subsides, up to five doses in an hour. For best results, don’t dilute these or drink other fluids immediately before or after taking them.
For motion sickness specifically, antihistamine-based products containing dimenhydrinate or meclizine are effective but can cause drowsiness.
If You’re Pregnant
Morning sickness affects up to 80% of pregnancies, and vitamin B6 is the standard first-line treatment. A typical dose is 10 to 25 mg taken three times a day, and it can be used alone or combined with doxylamine (an antihistamine found in some over-the-counter sleep aids) for stronger relief. Don’t exceed 200 mg of B6 per day. Ginger is also considered safe during pregnancy and can be used alongside B6.
Signs That Need Emergency Attention
Most nausea is uncomfortable but not dangerous. However, certain symptoms alongside nausea signal something more serious. Call 911 if you experience chest pain, severe abdominal cramping, blurred vision, confusion, or a high fever with a stiff neck. Vomit that contains blood, looks like coffee grounds, or is green also warrants an emergency visit.
Get to urgent care if your nausea comes with a severe or unusual headache, or if you’re showing signs of significant dehydration: very dark urine, dry mouth, dizziness when standing, or weakness. Vomiting that lasts more than 24 hours in adults, or that prevents you from keeping any fluids down, also needs medical evaluation.