The most effective thing you can do for a stomach bug is stay hydrated, because dehydration, not the virus itself, is what makes most people dangerously sick. Beyond fluids, a few straightforward strategies with food, rest, and household cleanup can shorten your misery and keep the illness from spreading. Here’s what actually works.
Fluids Are the Single Most Important Step
Vomiting and diarrhea pull water and essential salts out of your body fast. Replacing them is the core of treatment for viral gastroenteritis, and it matters more than any medication or dietary trick. Plain water is better than nothing, but it doesn’t replace the sodium and potassium you’re losing. Oral rehydration solutions are specifically designed for this: the World Health Organization formula uses a 1:1 ratio of sodium to glucose, which optimizes how your gut absorbs fluid even when it’s inflamed.
You can find oral rehydration solutions at any pharmacy. Sports drinks are a common substitute, but they contain more sugar and less sodium than what your body needs during active illness. If you can’t keep large amounts down, take small, frequent sips every few minutes rather than gulping a full glass. Ice chips or frozen rehydration pops work well if even sips trigger vomiting.
Signs that dehydration is becoming a real problem include dark urine, urinating much less than usual, extreme thirst, dry mouth, dizziness or lightheadedness, and sunken-looking eyes. A quick skin check can help too: pinch the skin on the back of your hand, and if it doesn’t flatten back immediately, you’re likely dehydrated enough to need more aggressive fluid intake or medical help.
What to Eat (and When)
The old BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast) has been a go-to recommendation for decades, but it’s no longer what doctors advise as a strict protocol. It lacks calcium, vitamin B12, protein, and fiber. Following it for more than a day or two can actually slow your recovery by depriving your body of the nutrients it needs to heal.
The current approach is simpler: eat as tolerated. When you feel ready to eat, start with bland, soft foods like the BRAT staples, but also include things like plain crackers, boiled potatoes, chicken broth, or cooked vegetables. As your appetite returns, move back toward your normal diet. Your gut recovers faster with adequate nutrition than it does on a starvation-level regimen. For children, this is especially important. The American Academy of Pediatrics says a strict BRAT diet is too restrictive for kids and may slow down recovery if followed for more than 24 hours.
Avoid greasy, spicy, or heavily sweetened foods while you’re symptomatic. Dairy can sometimes worsen diarrhea temporarily because the inflamed gut has trouble processing lactose, but this varies from person to person.
Over-the-Counter Medications
Two common pharmacy options can help manage symptoms. Anti-diarrheal medications containing loperamide slow gut motility, which reduces the frequency of watery stools. This can make you more comfortable, but it treats the symptom rather than the cause. Don’t use it if you have a high fever or bloody stools, as those suggest a bacterial infection where slowing your gut down could make things worse.
Bismuth subsalicylate (the active ingredient in Pepto-Bismol) can help with nausea and diarrhea. However, it contains a salicylate, the same family of compounds as aspirin, so it should not be given to children under 12. It’s also off-limits for teenagers recovering from the flu or chickenpox due to the risk of Reye’s syndrome. If you take blood thinners, have kidney disease, or have a stomach ulcer, skip this one as well.
For severe vomiting that prevents you from keeping any fluids down, doctors sometimes prescribe an anti-nausea medication that can cut the need for IV hydration by more than 50%. This is especially useful for children six months and older with mild to moderate dehydration who can’t tolerate oral rehydration. It’s not available over the counter, so it requires a visit to your doctor or urgent care.
Natural Nausea Relief
Ginger and peppermint have a long history as nausea remedies, and clinical evidence backs them up. In a randomized controlled trial, aromatherapy using peppermint, ginger, and lavender significantly reduced nausea severity compared to a control group, with no adverse effects observed. You don’t need anything fancy: ginger tea, ginger chews, or simply inhaling peppermint oil can take the edge off. These won’t cure the illness, but they can make the worst hours more bearable.
How Long a Stomach Bug Lasts
The timeline depends on which virus you caught. Norovirus, the most common cause in adults, typically hits one to two days after exposure. Most people feel significantly better within a day or two of symptoms starting. Rotavirus, more common in young children, appears one to three days after exposure and tends to last longer, around three to eight days.
The tricky part is contagiousness. With norovirus, you can spread the virus before you even feel sick, and it remains in your stool for two weeks or more after you recover. Rotavirus follows a similar pattern, with contagiousness extending up to two weeks past recovery. This is why hand hygiene and surface cleaning matter long after you feel fine.
Preventing Spread at Home
Stomach viruses, especially norovirus, are notoriously hard to kill. Regular soap or alcohol-based hand sanitizers are not enough for surfaces. The CDC recommends disinfecting contaminated areas with a bleach solution: 5 to 25 tablespoons of standard household bleach (5% to 8% concentration) per gallon of water. Leave the solution on the surface for at least five minutes before wiping. Alternatively, look for an EPA-registered disinfectant specifically labeled as effective against norovirus.
Clean any surface that may have been exposed to vomit or stool, including toilet handles, faucets, doorknobs, and light switches. Wash contaminated clothing and linens on the hottest setting and dry them on high heat. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water (not just sanitizer) after using the bathroom and before handling food, for at least two weeks after symptoms resolve.
Keeping Children Hydrated
Kids dehydrate faster than adults, and the signs can be harder to spot. Watch for no wet diapers for three hours or more, crying without tears, a dry mouth, unusual sleepiness, or sunken eyes. Small children under 10 kg (about 22 pounds) should get 2 to 4 ounces of oral rehydration solution after each episode of vomiting or diarrhea. Children over 10 kg need 4 to 8 ounces per episode.
Don’t give young children fruit juice, soda, or sports drinks as a primary fluid, since the sugar content can actually worsen diarrhea. Pedialyte or a similar pediatric rehydration solution is the best option. If your child is vomiting frequently and can’t keep fluids down, try offering a teaspoon or two every couple of minutes with a syringe or small spoon rather than a full cup.
When Symptoms Need Medical Attention
Most stomach bugs resolve on their own, but certain red flags call for a doctor visit. Adults should seek care if diarrhea lasts more than two days, they’re having six or more loose stools per day, vomiting makes it impossible to keep fluids down, they develop a high fever, or they notice blood or black tarry material in their stool. Any change in mental state, like confusion, unusual irritability, or extreme fatigue, also warrants immediate evaluation.
For children, the thresholds are lower. Any fever in an infant is a reason to call a doctor. Diarrhea lasting more than a single day, frequent vomiting, signs of dehydration, or blood in the stool all require prompt attention. If a child isn’t improving after drinking oral rehydration solutions, or simply refuses to drink, don’t wait it out.