If you’re vomiting, the most important thing to do right now is stop eating, take small sips of fluid, and rest in an upright or side-lying position. Most vomiting episodes resolve on their own within 12 to 24 hours. Your main job during that time is to prevent dehydration, protect your teeth, and watch for warning signs that something more serious is going on.
Right After You Vomit
Give your stomach a short break. Wait 15 to 30 minutes before drinking anything. When you do start, take two large sips (roughly 30 mL, or about an ounce) every 3 to 5 minutes. If that stays down, keep going at that pace. If it triggers more vomiting, slow down and wait another 15 minutes before trying again.
Resist the urge to gulp a full glass of water. A stomach that’s already irritated will often reject a large volume immediately. Small, frequent sips are far more effective at getting fluid into your system.
Sit upright or lie on your left side. Lying flat on your back increases the risk of inhaling vomit, especially if you’re drowsy or if another episode comes on suddenly.
How to Rehydrate Safely
Plain water is fine for the first hour or two, but if vomiting continues or you also have diarrhea, switch to an electrolyte replacement drink. Your goal is about 1,000 mL (roughly a quart) of electrolyte fluid sipped over two hours. Pedialyte, diluted sports drinks, or a homemade solution of water with a small amount of salt and sugar all work.
Prolonged vomiting depletes sodium and potassium, which your muscles and heart need to function normally. Signs that your electrolytes are getting dangerously low include muscle cramps or spasms, numbness or tingling in your fingers and toes, an irregular or racing heartbeat, confusion, and extreme fatigue. These symptoms mean you need medical help, not just more fluids at home.
A quick way to check your hydration: pinch the skin on the back of your hand and let go. If it snaps back immediately, you’re reasonably hydrated. If the skin stays “tented” for a few seconds before flattening, you’re moderately to severely dehydrated and should seek care.
Protect Your Teeth
Stomach acid is harsh on tooth enamel, and your instinct will be to brush right away. Don’t. Brushing while acid is still on your teeth actually scrubs the softened enamel away. Wait at least 30 minutes, which is roughly how long your saliva needs to neutralize the acid and bring your mouth’s pH back to normal. In the meantime, rinse gently with plain water or a baking soda rinse (a teaspoon of baking soda in a cup of water) to help neutralize the acid faster. After the 30-minute window, brush with fluoride toothpaste.
What and When to Eat Again
You may have heard of the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast) as the go-to after vomiting. It’s no longer recommended as a strict protocol because it lacks protein, calcium, vitamin B12, and fiber, and following it for more than a day or two can actually slow recovery. It’s fine to start with bland foods like those if they’re all that sounds tolerable, but move on to a normal, balanced diet as soon as you can.
The current guidance is simple: eat as tolerated. When your stomach feels ready, try small portions of whatever mild foods appeal to you. Crackers, broth, plain chicken, eggs, or oatmeal are all reasonable starting points. Avoid greasy, spicy, or heavily seasoned food for the first day. If a particular food triggers nausea, set it aside and try something else.
Medications That Can Help
Several over-the-counter antihistamines can reduce nausea and vomiting. The most commonly available ones include dimenhydrinate (Dramamine), diphenhydramine (Benadryl), and meclizine (Bonine). These work by blocking signals in the part of your brain that triggers the vomiting reflex. They tend to cause drowsiness, which can be a side effect or a benefit depending on whether you’re trying to sleep through the worst of it.
If you’re pregnant, the combination of vitamin B6 and doxylamine is considered the first-line treatment for pregnancy-related nausea and vomiting. Both are available without a prescription. Pregnancy vomiting that causes weight loss of more than 5% of your body weight, signs of dehydration, or an inability to keep any food or liquid down may be a condition called hyperemesis gravidarum, which requires medical treatment.
Rehydrating Children
Kids dehydrate faster than adults, so the fluid strategy needs to be more deliberate. For babies under one year, use a spoon or syringe to give 1 to 2 teaspoons (5 to 10 mL) every few minutes. For children over one, give half an ounce to one ounce (1 to 2 tablespoons) every 20 minutes for a few hours. Pedialyte or a similar pediatric electrolyte solution is preferable to juice or soda, which can worsen diarrhea.
For children under 2, vomiting lasting more than 24 hours warrants a call to the pediatrician. For infants, that window is even shorter: 12 hours.
Warning Signs That Need Medical Attention
Most vomiting is caused by something temporary: a stomach virus, food that didn’t agree with you, motion sickness, or a migraine. But certain symptoms alongside vomiting signal a medical emergency.
Call 911 if vomiting comes with chest pain, severe abdominal pain or cramping, blurred vision, confusion, a high fever with a stiff neck, or fecal material in the vomit.
Go to an emergency room or urgent care if your vomit contains blood, looks like dark coffee grounds, or is bright green. Also seek immediate care if you have a severe headache unlike anything you’ve experienced before, or if you’re showing clear signs of dehydration: excessive thirst, dark urine, very infrequent urination, dizziness when standing, or dry mouth with weakness.
For adults, vomiting that lasts more than two days, recurring bouts of nausea and vomiting over more than a month, or unexplained weight loss alongside vomiting all justify a visit to your doctor, even if you don’t feel like it’s an emergency. These patterns can point to conditions that won’t resolve on their own.