Can Constipation Cause Nausea? Understanding the Gut-Body Connection

Constipation can lead to discomfort, including pain and pressure in the lower part of the abdomen. But constipation can also lead to discomfort in the upper part of the digestive tract, including nausea or queasiness.

Understanding how constipation affects your body can help you learn how to relieve nausea from constipation.

Nausea and Constipation Symptoms

Constipation occurs when you have fewer than three bowel movements per week. This can lead to stools building up in your intestine, making it increasingly difficult to have bowel movements. Constipation can cause a lot of uncomfortable symptoms, including stomach pain and pressure or gas. Constipation can also cause nausea and dizziness, especially if you’re also dehydrated.

The nausea that comes along with constipation may feel like persistent queasiness or an unsettled stomach. You might not get the sudden waves of nausea you would expect due to a stomach virus or motion sickness. However, some people may vomit due to constipation.

Why Do You Get Nausea When You’re Constipated?

Nausea from constipation is usually due to pressure from the backup of stool in the intestine. If the upper parts of the intestine are pushing on your stomach, it can make you feel queasy and sick to your stomach.

Other Reasons Why You Have Nausea During Constipation

While constipation alone can cause nausea, other conditions can lead to stomach pain and queasiness. Constipation combined with other health issues can lead to an increase in symptoms, including nausea.

• Dehydration: Not drinking enough fluids can cause constipation or make it worse. Water makes stools softer and easier to pass. Dehydration can cause headaches, nausea, dizziness, or fatigue.
• Food poisoning: Food that contains harmful bacteria is a common cause of stomach upset and nausea. Common sources of food poisoning include undercooked meat or poultry, unwashed vegetables, or spoiled food. Food poisoning can cause nausea, stomach cramps, vomiting, and diarrhea.
• IBS: Inflammatory bowel syndrome is a chronic condition where the large intestine gets irritated, causing pain, bloating, nausea, and diarrhea. Diet changes and avoiding triggers can help with IBS symptoms.
• Ulcer: Ulcers are sores that develop on the stomach lining or small intestine. They can cause pain, bloating, indigestion, nausea, and vomiting. If you suspect you may have an ulcer, talk to a health care provider about treatment options.
• GERD: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a condition where stomach acids flow up into the esophagus, causing heartburn, pain in the chest and throat, regurgitation, and nausea. You may be able to manage GERD with over-the-counter medications, along with diet and lifestyle changes. In some cases, prescription-strength medications are necessary.
• GI infections: Infections of the GI tract, commonly called stomach bugs, often cause nausea and vomiting, as well as diarrhea, fever, and other symptoms. GI infections typically clear up within a few days.
• Bowel obstruction: A bowel obstruction is a blockage in the intestines, preventing food and stool from moving through the digestive tract. It can cause pain, cramping, and nausea. Severe constipation can cause a bowel obstruction, as can scarring, a hernia, or serious conditions such as colon cancer. If you suspect you have a bowel obstruction, you should visit a health care provider for diagnosis and treatment.

Tips To Relieve Nausea and Constipation

Treating constipation and preventing future episodes of constipation are the best ways to stop the discomfort and nausea it can cause. You can try simple tricks to empty your bowels immediately, such as drinking water, taking a walk, or massaging your lower abdomen. These techniques can stimulate your bowels and help you pass stools quickly.

Other options for relieving constipation can include diet changes and over-the-counter remedies.

Consume More Dietary Fiber

Fiber adds bulk to stools, which makes them easier to pass. Eating high-fiber foods like dried fruit, whole grains, beans, vegetables, and nuts can help alleviate constipation. Fiber supplements like Metamucil or FiberCon can also get your digestive tract working more efficiently. Keeping your fiber intake at a healthy level can prevent recurrence of constipation in the future.

At-Home Remedies

One trick that can make bowel movements easier is to change how you sit on the toilet. Instead of leaving your feet flat on the floor, use a footstool to raise your feet a bit. This simulates a squatting position, which may help you empty your bowels.

You can also try drinking a warm beverage. The warm fluid can stimulate your intestines, as can the caffeine in drinks like tea or coffee.

Gently massaging your belly can also help move waste through the intestines, so you can more easily empty your bowels.

Stay Hydrated

Constipation is often a sign of dehydration. Drinking enough water is critical for easy bowel movements. When stools are dry and hard, they are more difficult to pass. Drinking enough water to stay hydrated makes stools softer so they move more easily through the intestines and reduces the likelihood of constipation.

Engage in Fitness Activity (Safely!)

Getting your body moving is a good way to increase blood circulation. Boosting blood flow in your intestines can help you move your bowels and reduce the effects of constipation. If you are injured or have health concerns, ask your health care provider about safe exercise options.

OTC Medication for Nausea and Constipation

You can try over-the-counter remedies for constipation if other options aren’t giving you relief.

• Stool softeners: Stool softeners draw water into your intestines, making it easier to pass stool. Look for ingredients like docusate sodium or docusate calcium (Surfak).
• Osmotic laxatives: Osmotic laxatives such as magnesium hydroxide, magnesium citrate, or polyethylene glycol help move fluids through the colon, triggering a bowel movement. They work over the course of 2 to 3 days.
• Stimulant laxatives: Stimulant laxatives such as bisacodyl or senna sennosides cause the intestine to squeeze and push stool out more rapidly. They usually work for 6 to 12 hours.

Should You Visit Urgent Care?

There are cases when constipation is a sign of a more significant health issue, and you should see a health care provider about your symptoms. Visit an urgent care facility if you have constipation that lasts more than 3 days or it is accompanied by symptoms such as:

• Bloating
• Bloody stools
• Fever
• Weakness
• Frequent vomiting or inability to keep food down
• Nausea lasting for more than 48 hours
• Significant stomach pain

If you’re struggling with severe constipation or constipation that keeps coming back, the health care providers at Next Level Urgent Care are here to help. Our providers can work with you to determine what’s causing your constipation and develop a plan to relieve your symptoms.

Stop by any of our convenient locations in Austin, Houston, Beaumont, and San Antonio and download the Next Level app to get in line online.