Several approaches can help stop nausea, ranging from simple physical techniques you can try in the next 60 seconds to over-the-counter medications and dietary changes. What works best depends on the cause, whether it’s motion sickness, a stomach bug, pregnancy, or something you ate. Here’s a practical breakdown of your options.
Acupressure on Your Inner Wrist
One of the fastest things you can try costs nothing and works anywhere. There’s a pressure point on the inside of your wrist, known as P6, that has been used for decades to ease nausea. To find it, place three fingers from your opposite hand flat across your wrist, just below the crease where your hand meets your arm. Right below those three fingers, feel for the groove between the two large tendons running down your wrist. Press firmly into that spot with your thumb for one to two minutes, then switch to the other wrist. It shouldn’t hurt. Wristbands designed to apply constant pressure to this point are sold at most pharmacies and are popular for motion sickness and morning sickness.
Ginger and Peppermint
Ginger is the most studied natural remedy for nausea. Clinical trials suggest that taking 1 gram or more of ginger daily for at least three days can reduce the frequency of vomiting. You can get that dose from ginger capsules, ginger chews, or strong ginger tea made from fresh root. Ginger ale, despite its reputation, rarely contains enough real ginger to make a difference.
Peppermint works through a different route: smell. Inhaling peppermint oil has been shown to significantly reduce both the frequency and severity of nausea. You don’t need a diffuser. Placing a single drop of peppermint oil on the skin between your upper lip and nose, or simply sniffing an open bottle, can provide relief. In one study, this approach reduced nausea scores across several different treatment settings. The one exception was patients on a specific high-intensity drug regimen, where the effect wasn’t significant.
Over-the-Counter Medications
If natural options aren’t enough, several pharmacy-aisle medications target nausea directly.
Bismuth subsalicylate (the active ingredient in Pepto-Bismol) works by reducing inflammation in the intestine and slowing the flow of fluids into the bowel. It’s best suited for nausea tied to an upset stomach, food-related issues, or mild gastrointestinal infections. Follow the dosage on the package carefully, as it contains a compound related to aspirin.
Dimenhydrinate (Dramamine) is the go-to for motion sickness. It kicks in about 30 minutes after you take it and lasts four to eight hours. The downside is drowsiness, which can be significant. Take it before you start traveling, not after nausea has already set in.
Meclizine (Bonine) is a longer-acting alternative that provides up to 24 hours of relief with noticeably less drowsiness. It takes about an hour to start working, so plan ahead. If you’re choosing between the two for a long trip, meclizine is generally the better pick for daytime use.
What to Eat and Drink
If you’re actively vomiting, skip solid food entirely and stick to liquids: water, ice chips, broth, diluted fruit juice, electrolyte drinks, popsicles, or weak uncaffeinated tea. Small, frequent sips are easier to keep down than large gulps.
The classic BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast) is no longer recommended as a strict protocol. Cleveland Clinic notes it lacks essential nutrients like calcium, vitamin B12, protein, and fiber. For children, the American Academy of Pediatrics says following it for more than 24 hours may actually slow recovery. A better approach: eat bland, soft foods as tolerated, in small portions, and expand your diet as soon as you feel able. Your stomach handles smaller meals better during recovery.
What you drink matters more than what you eat. Sports drinks, sodas, and juices are poor choices because they contain too much sugar and too little sodium. That excess sugar can pull additional fluid into the gut through osmosis, potentially making things worse. Proper oral rehydration solutions, available at pharmacies and grocery stores, use a balanced ratio of sodium and glucose that helps your body absorb fluid efficiently. The World Health Organization recommends a 1:1 sodium-to-glucose ratio, though commercial products with a 1:3 ratio still work well.
Nausea During Pregnancy
Morning sickness affects up to 80% of pregnant women, and the first-line treatment is a combination of vitamin B6 and doxylamine (an antihistamine). This combination is available by prescription as a delayed-release tablet. The typical starting approach is two tablets at bedtime on the first day. If nausea persists into the afternoon the next day, you add a morning tablet on day three, for a total of three tablets daily. Many women also find relief from the ginger and acupressure techniques described above, which carry no medication-related concerns.
Simple Habits That Help
Beyond specific remedies, a few practical adjustments can make a real difference. Fresh air or a cool breeze on your face can calm nausea quickly, which is why cracking a car window helps with motion sickness. Sitting upright or slightly reclined is better than lying flat, which can worsen acid-related nausea. Avoid strong smells, especially cooking odors, perfume, or cigarette smoke. Breathing slowly and deliberately, inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth, activates the body’s calming response and can interrupt the nausea signal.
Eating before you’re starving also helps. An empty stomach produces acid with nothing to absorb it, which can trigger or worsen nausea. If you know a situation tends to make you nauseous, whether it’s a car ride, a medical treatment, or early pregnancy mornings, having a small, bland snack beforehand gives your stomach something to work with.
Signs That Need Medical Attention
Most nausea resolves on its own or with the strategies above. But certain combinations of symptoms point to something more serious. Nausea with a high fever and stiff neck needs prompt medical evaluation. So do signs of dehydration: excessive thirst, dry mouth, dark urine, infrequent urination, or dizziness when you stand up. For adults, vomiting that lasts more than two days warrants a doctor’s visit. For children under two, the threshold is 24 hours. For infants, it’s 12 hours. Recurring bouts of nausea and vomiting lasting longer than a month also call for investigation, as they could signal an underlying condition that won’t resolve with home remedies alone.