When we talk about morning sickness, the very first thing that comes to our mind is the sign of pregnancy. Morning sickness is a common complaint that usually goes for three months into the pregnancy.
Just because morning sickness is a part of pregnancy, it does not mean that women have to deal with it. There are various morning sickness relieving methods that can help in easing your condition. You can get relief by using home remedies for morning sickness, or you can take traditional medications.
Morning sickness is accompanied by nausea. More than half of pregnant women experience nausea. The major signs of severe morning sickness are – if you are unable to keep down food or liquid for 24 hours or losing weight, or becoming dehydrated.
Many women try to treat their morning sickness problem by using a combination of various methods, such as specific foods, medication, or home remedies for morning sickness.
In this blog, we are going to share some of the highly effective home remedies for morning sickness.
What Is Morning Sickness?
The perfect name for morning sickness is NVP (Nausea and Vomiting during Pregnancy). For more than 80% of women, morning sickness is not just restricted to the morning only. Many women experience morning sickness all day.
This condition usually occurs between the 6th and 12th weeks of the pregnancy, but for some women, it lasts even longer. This condition does not require medical attention unless you feel your condition has gone worse and has resulted in dehydration and weight loss.
The causes of morning sickness are unknown, but as per some studies, it is found that an increase in estrogen level, low blood sugar, increase in HCG (Human Chronic Gonadotropin), increase in progesterone level, and high sensitivity to smell can cause nausea.
Morning sickness does not cause any harm to both mother and baby. But, excessive morning sickness can result in dehydration and weight loss. If you think that you are suffering from the same situation, then immediately call your doctor.
Home Remedies For Morning Sickness
Most pregnant women are less concerned about the causes of morning sickness and put more focus on how to fix this condition. Here, we have compiled some natural remedies for morning sickness that not only help you relieve its symptoms but will also enable you to start living a happy and healthy life.
Get Plenty of Rest
It is very important to get adequate and quality sleep at night. But, taking a nap during the day also helps a lot. Many women take a rest immediately after taking a meal. It is wrong because it can increase nausea.
For women who work at night are recommended to take sufficient sleep during the day. They can sleep with a sleep mask, or they can use blackout curtains to make their room darker. It will help them in getting good sleep and will also ease their nausea and morning sickness.
With time, the body shape of pregnant women changes, so it is advised to use a maternity body pillow as it will help in relaxing your back and abdomen. Also, it is a good practice to go to bed early and wake up early. This way, you will get enough time to get out of bed.
It is also recommended to never use sleeping pills until they are prescribed by the doctor.
Eat Smaller and Frequent Meals
When you are pregnant and dealing with morning sickness or nausea, you must take a smaller portion of meals instead of taking a heavy meal at once. This is one of the helpful home remedies for morning sickness that does not only help in reducing the chance of vomiting but also keeps your stomach having something in it.
Do you know that an empty stomach can increase the feeling of nausea? It happens due to the production of acids in an empty stomach when it has nothing to work on. This, in turn, results in the feeling of nausea.
You can also take some salty or protein-rich snacks before getting out of your bed in the morning. It will help in reducing your morning sickness condition.
You can take pears, bananas, or any citrus fruit in the breakfast as it will help in making your feel satisfied. You can also take fruits containing potassium as they may also help in preventing morning sickness.
When it is about the time before going to bed in the night, you can eat a high-protein snack as it will help in regulating your blood glucose levels throughout the night.
Always Keep Yourself Physically and Mentally Active
When you remain ideal for most of the time, your body system may stop working in the way that it should be. So, it is very important to remain physically active, especially pregnant women. If you are physically active, it helps in improving the symptoms of nausea during pregnancy.
Additionally, if you keep yourself busy most of the time, your mind will be off from the feelings of nausea. Remaining physically active does not mean that you have to do household chores only. You can spend time reading books, solving puzzles, watching your favorite TV series or movies, etc. You can also go for a short walk to keep yourself occupied.
If you are looking for natural remedies for morning sickness, following this remedy may help in giving you relief from nausea.
Intake Good Fluids
During pregnancy, it is very important to stay hydrated all the time. But, it does not mean that you can drink any beverage you want. You must consume fluids that are good for your pregnancy and also help in reducing the symptoms of nausea.
It is recommended to consume 8-10 glasses of water a day. But, when you have the feeling of nausea, it is really hard to drink too much water. So, you can add apple cider vinegar and honey to your glass of water to make it tasteful. This can be one of the best natural remedies for morning sickness. Know more about Health Benefits Of Apple Cider Vinegar.
Some women find sucking ice cubes made from fruit juice quite effective in giving them relief from morning sickness. You can try this method as well and if it works, then go with it.
Drink Ginger tea
Ginger has been used for centuries as one of the effective home remedies to treat nausea. Ginger is also used to treat digestion problems and reduce abdominal discomfort. Also there are many more Incredible Health Benefits.
You can consume ginger by sipping cold ginger ale, or you can make ginger water or tea. You can also get gingerbread or ginger cookies and can eat them as snacks.
Take Vitamin Supplements
Always keep in mind that supplements should never be taken without consulting the doctor. If your doctor supervises you for taking vitamin supplements, it would be good to take them before going to bed and with a snack. You must include Vitamin B6 supplements to help in reducing nausea.
Do you know that even iron supplements during pregnancy can lead to nausea for some women? In such situations, the doctor may recommend you take a lower dosage of iron supplements. You can take iron supplements with either an orange juice or you can take them with drinks containing Vitamin C. This method will help in increased absorption, and you will feel better.
Avoid Strong Smells
One of the best home remedies for morning sickness is to avoid environmental triggers, including strong smells. Morning sickness is very much related to an increased sensitivity to smell. So, it is advised to keep yourself away from cigarette smoke, perfumes, and any smell that affects you and makes you feel uncomfortable.
The smell of lemon extract and rosemary may help you in easing your feeling of nausea. If you determine that a particular smell triggers episodes of nausea, then you must avoid it as far as possible.
Also, if the cooking smell bothers you, then you can ask someone else to do the food preparation. If there is no one to help you, then make sure to open the windows of your kitchen to reduce cooking odors.
Have Breakfast in Bed
It may be a little surprising to know that many women feel the most nausea in the morning, even if they have not eaten anything for the last 6-8 hours. Have you ever thought about why it happens? When you feel hungry in the morning, it goes along with the low blood sugar that leads to an increase in your hungry feeling.
But when you are pregnant, the combination of an empty stomach, as well as low blood sugar, can result in making your morning sickness worsen. Also, this condition may not become better when you get up from your bed and start moving around.
So, one of the simple home remedies for morning sickness is to eat your breakfast in bed. Yes, you have heard it rightly. It is recommended to take dry products for breakfast, such as toast or cereal.
Even if these breakfast ideas are not of your choice, they are quite beneficial in giving quick calories to your body. Hence, it will improve your blood sugar level and also help in absorbing acids that are associated with the feeling of nausea.
Get Plenty of Sleep
It is very clear that in many situations, nausea is caused as a result of fatigue and stress. So, it is recommended to get plenty of sleep to get relief from morning sickness.
Getting plenty of sleep can be done by going to bed at the first sign of sleepiness and turning off your mobile device for at least 25 minutes before switching off the lights in your room. Doing both things together will help a lot in easing your overworked body and give it adequate rest, relaxation, and repair what actually it requires.
What we have talked about above is night sleep, but what about tiredness during the day? The best way is to take a nap when you are tired. Just taking 20 minutes of power nap at your desk or on your chair is enough to work effectively in giving you relaxation, both physically and mentally.
So, when you are looking for natural remedies for morning sickness, make sure to have enough sleep to reduce the feeling of nausea.
Add Anti-Nausea Foods to Your Diet
One more effective home remedy for morning sickness is to eat anti-nausea foods. These foods include ginger, fresh vegetables, and fruits, soups, etc., and give your body the essential nutrients that can help in fighting the effects of nausea.
Whether you are pregnant or not, adding these nutritious foods to your diet will help a lot. You can start adding grated ginger to a few meals, or you can drink ginger tea. Try to eat as many vegetables and fruits as you can in a day. Eating nuts, seeds, olive oil, etc., can also help in reducing the symptoms of nausea.
Start Eating Bland Foods
Do you know that eating bland foods is great for your stomach? If you start your day by consuming bland foods, such as crackers, dry cereals, and pretzels, in the morning, you will experience some relief from your nausea symptoms.
Broth, baked potato, and whole-wheat toast are also some of the bland foods that help in soothing your stomach.
Peppermint Essential Oil
The aroma of peppermint essential oil is also one of the best natural remedies for morning sickness. Take a large bowl and fill it with hot water. Now, add 2-3 drops of peppermint essential oil. Place this bowl near your bed. Just make sure it is placed in a safe area so that there is no risk of spillage.
You can also use an aromatherapy diffuser that can easily be purchased from health food stores.
Read More: Amazing Peppermint Benefits.
Final Words
While there is no complete cure for morning sickness, but these natural remedies for morning sickness can help in reducing its symptoms. After using one or some of these home remedies, you will feel at ease from the severity of your nausea.
If you have severe nausea and no home remedy is working to ease it, you must see the doctor and discuss your symptoms. This difficult time in your pregnancy will eventually pass and is well worth going through all these conditions once you have a baby in your arms.
