If you’re like most people, throwing up is not a regular occurrence, but it’s one of your body’s natural ways of cleansing itself and protecting itself from harm. But when it does happen, it can be an extremely uncomfortable and helpless experience.

If vomiting gets out of control, it can leave you feeling drained and miserable. Here are seven things you should try to help you stop throwing up.

1. Try deep breathing

Breathing is a natural way to calm an upset stomach, especially in cases of acute gastroenteritis. It can help you stop vomiting by creating a soothing effect on your digestive system and helping it relax.

Deep breathing involves inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the nose or mouth, using the diaphragm to breathe more deeply. This helps to activate your body’s parasympathetic, nervous system, which might reverse the feeling of nausea instantaneously.

Try taking slow, deep breaths when you feel nauseous.

2. Sip on some water

When throwing up, you’re losing a lot of hydration, so it’s important to replenish what gets lost.  Start by sipping on room-temperature water, which is more easily absorbed by the body than cold or hot liquids.

If you can keep water down, gradually increase the amount you drink as your stomach starts to feel better. Sports drinks like Gatorade can also help replace electrolytes that are lost when vomiting, but may not be good when you still feel sick.

Ginger ale, mint tea, and lemonade (not too sweet) are good options for helping to neutralize the stomach.

3. Avoid solid foods for a while

If you’re having trouble keeping any fluids or solids down, start by avoiding all solid foods until you begin to feel better.

This will give your digestive system time to rest and hopefully stop vomiting altogether. When you do start eating again, stick with bland and easy-to-digest foods like toast, bland crackers, bananas, rice, and soup.

4. Take some ginger

Ginger has been used to treat upset stomachs for generations, along with fennel and cloves. Make some tea from one of these and sip it a little at a time.

You don’t need to force it down, but you should start feeling better within an hour or two!  If you don’t want to make tea, you can also take ginger root capsules or chew on a few pieces of raw ginger at the first sign of nausea.

It’s not the best tasting thing to chew, but you could also go for some pickled ginger, which has the same benefits, with less of the flavor intensity.

5. Try aromatherapy

It’s probably no secret that certain smells make you want to throw up even more whenever you feel nauseous. Fortunately, the opposite is also true —you just need to find the best aroma for you.

Cloves, lavender, peppermint, and rose are good places to start.

6. Use pressure points on your body

According to traditional Chinese medicine, applying pressure to certain points on the body can help remove blockages along various meridians, relieving various  symptoms like nausea. For example, applying pressure to the wrist can help alleviate nausea.

To use acupressure, apply firm pressure with your thumb or finger on the inside of each wrist (about three inches below the base of your palm). Press down for one minute while breathing deeply. After a few minutes, move your fingers up toward your elbow and repeat until symptoms have subsided.

If you have problems with nausea during chemotherapy or pregnancy, try sea bands. These wristbands use acupuncture to stimulate certain pressure points in order to relieve nausea. The best part is they’re drug-free! You can also find them at most pharmacies without a prescription. If vomiting lasts more

7. Try some cannabis

Cannabis is used to treat nausea associated with a number of different illnesses, so there is a wide variety of strains to choose from in terms of what might work for you. To learn more about the various strains used to treat nausea, check out this article on Veriheal.

Conclusion

Vomiting can be an extremely unpleasant experience, but there are a number of things you can do to help stop it. Start by trying some of the tips in this article. If nothing seems to work or if vomiting persists more than a day, talk to your doctor about other possible treatments.