Most stomach viruses clear up on their own within one to eight days, and the single most important thing you can do is stay hydrated. There’s no antiviral medication that kills a stomach bug, so treatment is about managing symptoms, replacing lost fluids, and avoiding spreading the virus to others.
Hydration Is the Top Priority
Vomiting and diarrhea drain your body of water and electrolytes fast. For adults, the best approach is frequent small sips of an oral rehydration solution (sold as Pedialyte or store-brand equivalents), clear broth, or water with a pinch of salt. Don’t try to gulp a full glass at once if you’re still vomiting. A few tablespoons every five to ten minutes is more likely to stay down.
Sports drinks, sodas, and fruit juices are poor choices. They contain too little sodium and too much sugar, which can actually pull more water into the intestines and worsen diarrhea. If plain water is all you have, alternate it with something salty like broth or crackers so you’re replacing sodium too.
For infants and young children, plain water alone can be dangerous. It dilutes the sodium in their blood to potentially harmful levels. Oral rehydration solutions are the standard recommendation. A rough clinical guideline is about 50 mL per kilogram of body weight over four hours for mild dehydration, with an extra splash after each bout of diarrhea. Your pediatrician can give you a more specific target based on your child’s weight.
What to Eat (and What to Skip)
You may have heard of the BRAT diet: bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. It’s been a go-to recommendation for decades, but major health organizations including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the CDC no longer endorse it as a primary strategy. The reason is simple: it’s too restrictive. A strict BRAT diet provides roughly 300 fewer calories per day than a normal toddler’s diet, and it’s extremely low in fat, protein, fiber, and several important nutrients. Sticking with it for more than a day or two can slow recovery.
The current guidance is to return to a normal, age-appropriate diet as soon as you can keep food down. Start with mild, easy-to-digest foods: plain pasta, boiled potatoes, lean chicken, cooked vegetables, oatmeal. If those sit well, expand from there. You don’t need to restrict yourself to bland starches. Avoid greasy, heavily spiced, or very sugary foods until your stomach settles, but the goal is adequate nutrition, not deprivation.
How Long Symptoms Last
The two most common culprits are norovirus and rotavirus. Rotavirus symptoms typically begin about two days after exposure, and the vomiting and watery diarrhea last three to eight days. Norovirus follows a similar timeline but often runs a shorter course of one to three days in otherwise healthy adults. Children, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems may take longer to recover.
Even after the worst symptoms pass, you may feel tired and have a touchy stomach for several more days. That’s normal. Your gut lining takes time to heal.
Over-the-Counter Medications
Adults can use loperamide (Imodium) or bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol) to reduce diarrhea from a stomach virus. These won’t cure anything, but they can make the experience more manageable, especially if you need to function at work or travel.
Two important caveats. First, these medications are not safe for infants and young children without a doctor’s guidance. Second, if you have a fever above 102°F or notice blood in your stool, skip the anti-diarrheal entirely. Those signs point to a possible bacterial or parasitic infection, which requires different treatment.
For nausea, ginger tea has modest evidence behind it. It won’t transform your recovery, but it may take the edge off. Chamomile tea can help relax the digestive muscles and ease nausea and cramping. Both are safe for most people and worth trying if you find them comforting.
Probiotics and Recovery Speed
Probiotics, particularly the strain Lactobacillus GG, have been studied extensively for infectious diarrhea in children. A pooled analysis of twelve trials found that probiotics shortened diarrhea duration by about 29 hours on average. The effect appears strongest against rotavirus specifically: one study found children taking Lactobacillus GG had stool frequency drop to near zero by day three, while the placebo group was still averaging two episodes a day.
These results are encouraging but not dramatic. Probiotics are a reasonable add-on, not a cure. Look for a product containing Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG if you want to try it. For bacterial diarrhea, the same strain showed no benefit, which reinforces that this is a viral-diarrhea-specific effect.
Signs You Need Medical Attention
Dehydration is the real danger with a stomach virus, not the virus itself. In adults, watch for noticeably decreased urination, skin that stays “tented” (doesn’t snap back) when you pinch it, dizziness, or confusion. In infants, the red flags are no wet diapers for three hours, a rapid heart rate, and skin that doesn’t flatten back after a gentle pinch.
Seek medical care if you or a family member has diarrhea lasting more than 24 hours, can’t keep any fluids down, has a fever of 102°F or higher, or passes bloody or black stool. Unusual sleepiness or irritability in children is another warning sign that dehydration is getting serious.
How to Stop It From Spreading
Norovirus is notoriously contagious. You can spread it from the moment symptoms begin until two to three days after they stop. During that entire window, avoid preparing food for others, minimize close contact, and wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are less effective against norovirus than actual handwashing.
Cleaning contaminated surfaces requires more than a quick wipe. Norovirus can survive standard household cleaners. The CDC recommends a bleach solution: one-third cup of bleach per gallon of water for most hard surfaces. Leave the solution on the surface for 10 to 20 minutes before rinsing with clean water. For items that go in or near the mouth (toys, utensils), use a weaker solution of one tablespoon per gallon.
One detail people overlook: opened bleach loses its disinfecting power after about 30 days. If your bottle has been sitting under the sink for months, it may not be strong enough to kill the virus. Use a recently opened bottle and prepare a fresh batch of the diluted solution each day you need it.
Wash any contaminated clothing or linens on the hottest cycle your machine allows, and dry them on high heat. Handle soiled items carefully, since the virus can become airborne briefly when you shake out a dirty sheet or towel.