Norovirus runs its course in 1 to 3 days, and there’s no medication that kills it. “Beating” norovirus comes down to managing dehydration, eating the right things at the right time, and keeping the virus from spreading to everyone else in your household. The good news: most people recover fully without medical care.
What to Expect and When
Symptoms typically hit 12 to 48 hours after exposure. Vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach pain arrive fast, often all at once. Some people also get a low-grade fever, headache, or body aches. The worst of it usually lasts 24 to 72 hours, though you may feel wiped out for several days afterward.
Your body clears the active infection on its own. There’s no antiviral for norovirus, so recovery is entirely about supporting your body while it fights: staying hydrated, resting, and avoiding foods that make symptoms worse.
Hydration Is the Single Most Important Thing
Vomiting and diarrhea drain fluid and electrolytes fast. Plain water alone won’t replace the sodium and sugar your gut needs to absorb that water efficiently. An oral rehydration solution is the gold standard, and you can make one at home with ingredients you already have.
The simplest recipe: 4 cups of water, half a teaspoon of table salt, and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Stir until dissolved. It won’t taste great, but it works. If you’d rather use something from the kitchen, mix 2 cups of regular (not low-sodium) liquid chicken broth with 2 cups of water and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Another option: dilute three-quarters of a cup of cranberry juice in about 3 and a quarter cups of water with half a teaspoon of salt.
If keeping anything down feels impossible, take tiny sips every few minutes rather than drinking a full glass. A tablespoon every 5 minutes is a reasonable starting point. As vomiting slows, gradually increase the amount. Sports drinks like Gatorade G2 can work in a pinch, especially if you add half a teaspoon of salt per 32-ounce bottle, though they’re not as well-balanced as a proper rehydration solution.
Signs of Dangerous Dehydration
Most healthy adults stay ahead of fluid loss without much trouble, but young children, older adults, and people with other health conditions are at higher risk. Watch for decreased urination, a dry mouth and throat, dizziness when standing up, and unusual sleepiness. In children, crying with few or no tears is a red flag. Severe dehydration sometimes requires IV fluids in a hospital, so don’t wait if these signs appear and aren’t improving.
What to Eat (and What to Skip)
You don’t need to force food while you’re actively vomiting. Once the nausea starts to ease, introduce bland, easy-to-digest foods: plain rice, toast, bananas, boiled potatoes, or plain crackers. Small portions are better than full meals.
Several food categories can make diarrhea noticeably worse during recovery. Caffeine (coffee, tea, many soft drinks) stimulates the gut and pulls fluid in the wrong direction. High-fat foods like fried items, pizza, and fast food are harder to digest when your gut lining is inflamed. Foods and drinks with a lot of simple sugar, including fruit juices and sweetened beverages, can draw water into the intestine and worsen diarrhea.
Dairy deserves special attention. Norovirus can temporarily damage the cells in your small intestine that produce lactase, the enzyme needed to digest milk sugar. Some people have trouble with milk, cheese, and ice cream for up to a month after the infection clears. If dairy seems to trigger cramping or loose stools during recovery, give it a few weeks before reintroducing it.
Stopping the Spread at Home
Norovirus is extraordinarily contagious. As few as 18 viral particles can cause infection, and vomiting creates aerosols loaded with the virus that settle on nearby surfaces. This means anyone cleaning up after a sick household member is at real risk.
Handwashing with soap and water is your best defense. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are far less effective against norovirus than they are against many other germs. The physical friction of washing is what removes the virus, so scrub thoroughly for at least 20 seconds, especially after using the bathroom and before handling food.
For contaminated surfaces (bathroom counters, toilet handles, doorknobs), use a bleach-based cleaner. Standard household cleaners without bleach may not be enough, since norovirus is unusually resistant to many disinfectants. If someone vomits on clothing or bedding, wash those items with detergent and hot water on the longest cycle your machine offers, then dry on the highest heat setting.
Keep the sick person’s towels, utensils, and drinking glasses separate from everyone else’s. Norovirus can survive temperatures as high as 145°F, so quick rinses in warm water won’t cut it. Cook shellfish, especially oysters, to at least 145°F internal temperature, and keep in mind that quick steaming may not reach that threshold throughout the meat.
How Long You Stay Contagious
You’re most contagious while symptomatic and for the first few days after symptoms stop. Viral shedding in stool can continue for two weeks or longer, even when you feel fine. This is why hand hygiene after using the bathroom remains important well into recovery. If you work in food service or healthcare, staying home for at least 48 hours after your last symptoms is a widely followed guideline.
Why You Can Get It Again
Unlike some viruses that grant lasting immunity after a single infection, norovirus comes in many different strains. Your immune system builds a response to the strain you caught, but that protection is limited and relatively short-lived. You can get norovirus multiple times throughout your life, sometimes from a different strain and sometimes from the same one after immunity fades. This also means a prior infection won’t necessarily protect you during the next outbreak season.
Medications That Help (and Don’t)
Anti-nausea medications can take the edge off vomiting enough to keep fluids down. Over-the-counter options containing bismuth subsalicylate (the active ingredient in Pepto-Bismol) may help with nausea and diarrhea. Anti-diarrheal medications like loperamide can reduce the frequency of loose stools in adults, though they’re generally not recommended for young children.
Antibiotics do nothing against norovirus. It’s a virus, not a bacterial infection. Avoid using them unless a doctor has identified a separate bacterial issue. Pain relievers like acetaminophen can help with headache and body aches, but ibuprofen may irritate an already inflamed stomach lining, so use it cautiously.
The real recovery toolkit is boring but effective: small sips of rehydration fluid, rest, bland food when you’re ready, and time. Most people feel significantly better within 48 hours and fully recovered within a week.