After throwing up, the most important things are to rinse your mouth, rest your stomach, and slowly rehydrate. Most vomiting episodes resolve on their own within a day or two, but how you handle the next few hours makes a real difference in how quickly you recover and how you feel in the meantime.
The First 15 Minutes
Right after vomiting, rinse your mouth with plain water or a baking soda solution (about half a teaspoon of baking soda in a cup of water). This neutralizes the stomach acid coating your teeth and throat. Do not brush your teeth yet. Stomach acid contains hydrochloric acid, and brushing while that acid is still on your enamel spreads it around and grinds it deeper into the tooth surface. Wait at least 30 minutes before brushing.
If you feel shaky or lightheaded, sit or lie down on your side. Lying on your side rather than your back prevents choking if you vomit again. Take slow breaths through your nose. Don’t try to drink anything for the first 15 to 30 minutes. Your stomach needs a brief pause.
How to Start Drinking Fluids Again
Rehydration is the single most important thing you can do after vomiting, but gulping a full glass of water is likely to trigger another round. Start small: about a teaspoon (5 mL) of fluid every five minutes. If that stays down, gradually increase the amount over the next hour or two. The goal is a slow, steady trickle rather than a flood.
The best options for rehydration are oral rehydration solutions (like Pedialyte or store-brand equivalents), which replace both water and the electrolytes you lost. Clear broth, diluted apple juice, and flat ginger ale also work. Avoid milk, coffee, alcohol, and anything carbonated or acidic like orange juice for the first several hours. These can irritate your stomach or make nausea worse.
If even tiny sips trigger vomiting, try sucking on ice chips instead. This delivers fluid in even smaller amounts and can feel soothing on a raw throat.
When to Start Eating
Don’t rush food. Most guidelines suggest waiting until you’ve kept fluids down for several hours before trying anything solid. If your vomiting was caused by food poisoning or a stomach bug, you may want to wait a full 24 hours before attempting solid food.
When you’re ready, start with bland, easy-to-digest foods. You may have heard of the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast), and those are fine starting points. But the Cleveland Clinic notes that a strict BRAT diet lacks important nutrients like protein, calcium, and vitamin B12, so you shouldn’t stick with it for more than a day. As soon as you feel up to it, add in slightly more nutritious options: scrambled eggs, skinless chicken, cooked vegetables, plain oatmeal, or crackers.
For the first day or two, avoid greasy, spicy, or heavily seasoned foods. Fried food, dairy, raw vegetables, and high-fiber items are harder on a recovering stomach. Eat small portions. A few bites every couple of hours is better than a full meal.
What to Avoid
Lying flat on your back increases the risk of aspiration if you vomit again. Stay upright or on your side for at least 30 minutes after your last episode. Avoid strong smells, which can retrigger nausea. If cooking odors bother you, stick to cold or room-temperature foods when you’re ready to eat.
Over-the-counter stomach medicines containing bismuth subsalicylate (the active ingredient in Pepto-Bismol) can help with nausea in adults, but they should not be given to children under 12. Children and teenagers who have the flu or chickenpox should never take these products because of the risk of Reye’s syndrome, a rare but serious condition.
Signs of Dehydration to Watch For
Dehydration is the main complication of repeated vomiting, especially in young children and older adults. Watch for these signs: excessive thirst, dry mouth, dark yellow urine, urinating much less than usual, dizziness when standing up, and general weakness. In infants, look for fewer wet diapers, no tears when crying, and a sunken soft spot on the head. If you notice these signs and can’t keep fluids down, you likely need medical help for intravenous fluids.
When Vomiting Signals Something Serious
Most vomiting is caused by something temporary: a stomach virus, food poisoning, motion sickness, or overindulgence. But certain warning signs mean you should get medical attention right away:
- Blood in your vomit, or vomit that looks like coffee grounds (this can indicate bleeding in the digestive tract)
- Green vomit, which may signal a bowel obstruction
- Severe headache or stiff neck alongside vomiting, especially if you’ve never had this type of headache before
- Chest pain
- Severe abdominal pain or cramping
- Confusion or blurred vision
- High fever with a stiff neck
For adults, vomiting that lasts more than two days warrants a call to your doctor. For children under two, the threshold is 24 hours. For infants, it’s 12 hours. If you’ve had recurring bouts of nausea and vomiting for more than a month, or you’ve noticed unexplained weight loss, those patterns also deserve medical evaluation.
Recovery Timeline
A single episode of vomiting from something like motion sickness or eating too much typically resolves within a few hours. Stomach viruses and food poisoning usually run their course in one to three days. During that window, your main job is to keep sipping fluids, rest, and gradually reintroduce food as your body allows.
Most people feel significantly better within 24 hours of their last vomiting episode. Your appetite may take a bit longer to fully return, and that’s normal. Eat what sounds tolerable rather than forcing yourself through a full meal. Your gut lining needs time to calm down, and small, frequent portions of bland food are the fastest path back to feeling like yourself.