When I wake up earlier than normal I get Nauseous, help it stop?

September 8, 2015 6:40 AM

If I wake up earlier than normal I get a queasy, stomach, nauseous, and I feel like crap. This has been happening since my childhood. The earlier I wake up the worse it is. Google thinks it might be acid in my stomach. What is it and how can I fix it? Someone suggested tums. Thanks (I'm 32 y/o male)
posted by crawltopslow to Health & Fitness (20 answers total)

I get this...what I generally do is make sure I eat something right away (something easy on the stomach, like a piece of toast or whatever) and that usually takes care of it.
posted by xingcat at 6:46 AM on September 8, 2015

I feel like this when I'm really tired in a.m or missing decent sleep a few days in a row. Do you think you are getting enough sleep in general? If not, you may want to address your overall sleep habits to correct it.
posted by ReluctantViking at 6:51 AM on September 8, 2015

Response by poster: Sleep is super important to me, and I almost always get about 8 hours. Once a week or so I may get only 6 or 7 and feel nauseous and crappy.
posted by crawltopslow at 6:53 AM on September 8, 2015

My stomach cramps up if I get up too early (or if I go to bed SO late that I'm only getting 2 or 3 hours sleep). I do the opposite of xingcat and make sure I don't add any food to it until it stops hurting. Just some herbal tea and then wait an hour or two to have breakfast (usually at the airport, because why other than a flight would I be getting up so damn early and why other than packing would I stay up until 2 or 3 hours before I have to be up?)

I've always assumed it has to do with confusing my circadian rhythms.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 7:25 AM on September 8, 2015 [1 favorite]

I get this too, always have. I think it's just your body protesting that it needs more sleep. I'm not sure that treating your stomach is going to help.
posted by rabbitrabbit at 8:08 AM on September 8, 2015

I too, often have stomach issues when I don't get 7 hours.
posted by davebush at 8:14 AM on September 8, 2015

You might try making sure you don't eat too late before sleeping. I have tried a "no eating after 6" schedule and it's curbed acid reflux, which is not identical but is similar. Very difficult to stick to this schedule, though, if you have friends :)
posted by amtho at 8:35 AM on September 8, 2015

I got this as a child-- starting the day with a small cup of warm beef tea helped then, probably anything mild and warm will do...
posted by The otter lady at 8:50 AM on September 8, 2015

I also get this! I haven't found a great solution, but something simple like a banana does seem to help. Thanks for posting, I'll be watching the thread.
posted by WidgetAlley at 9:25 AM on September 8, 2015

I have the same problem but found the opposite solution to amtho. I find if I eat a little something, like a slice of wholemeal toast, before bed time it helps me.
posted by wwax at 9:43 AM on September 8, 2015

I get this too. Worst cases, I let nature take it's course, throw up and feel less nauseous.

It is directly correlated for me to having to get up too early.
posted by slateyness at 9:47 AM on September 8, 2015

This happened to me today. For a quick medical approach try taking an H2 antihistamine (Pepcid, Zantac) the night before, just before bed.

I am a coffee addict but try to avoid coffee or food until I'm closer to "normal wakeup time." For me if I wake up two hours earlier (even with extra sleep) than usual I will feel bad for about 90 minutes of those two hours. I avoid loading up on water, food, coffee until those 90 minutes are up.
posted by aydeejones at 9:51 AM on September 8, 2015

I will however down 12 ounces of homemade fresh juice when I first get up. It's packed with nutrients and has an alkaline pH but I don't want to obsessively talk about juicing too much. Suffice to say it's the new thing I dump in my body before anything else, and having coconut oil in it (a teaspoon) helps absorption and gives me a caloric boost.
posted by aydeejones at 9:53 AM on September 8, 2015

More wisdom from a sleep cycle abuser: if you're staying up super late rather than specifically getting up earlier, I'm a big proponent of eating something sufficient before bedtime so that you won't really feel hungry in the morning.

I think contrast showers (3 minutes of hot water, 1 cold, repeat at least once) help too. Room temperature water is better on the upset stomach too.

Grab some "Chimes" ginger candy too, for nausea.
posted by aydeejones at 9:58 AM on September 8, 2015

Do you have postnasal drip or blow your nose a lot when you are awake? How about allergies - do you have them? Before I got my CPAP with its pollen filter, I would sometimes wake up feeling sick to my stomach during allergy season. It turned out I was swallowing lots of mucus in my sleep (yuck!). Antihistamines and a non-jitter-causing decongestant before bed really helped.

Get a HEPA filter for your room, allergy-proof covers for your pillows and mattress, and make sure your sheets are pristinely clean and your floor is mopped/carpet vacuumed. Take a decongestant before bed. If you are feeling icky because you are swallowing mucus in your sleep, this might help.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 10:06 AM on September 8, 2015

I also get this. It is slightly improved with eating immediately upon waking and a warm shower, but the only way I can really avoid it is getting to bed extra early the night before.
posted by quince at 10:22 AM on September 8, 2015

I get this too, and have since I was a child. Funny story - as a young child I heard my mom and her friends use the term "morning sickness." "Hey, I get that!" I said. They laughed and explained, no, only pregnant ladies get that. Which led to enormous confusion on my part!

I haven't found a good antidote, although like a previous poster, I have noticed it is significantly worse when I have a cold or allergies with postnasal drip, so an antihistamine may help.
posted by Mallenroh at 10:27 AM on September 8, 2015

This happens to me when I don't get enough sleep. Carbs seem to help, like a burrito with a bunch of rice.
posted by salvia at 2:46 PM on September 8, 2015

Hi, I have the same issue (35m). The anecdotal things that have worked for me over the years are:

1) Small glass of very cold water around wake-up.
2) Sleeping environment kept a little colder than average (I live in northern California now and sleep with windows open almost every night, and I get the morning queasies far less than anywhere else I've ever lived--all of which have been quite hot/humid places).
3) If I have to get up and go regardless of my queasiness, ginger ginger ginger.

Re: 3, there's a bit of significant clinical support for this which I first started paying attention to in grad school (read: when I was always super tired and nauseated). I tend to keep a bottle of ginger water in the fridge for just this reason (puree an inch long knuckle of ginger in water, strain if you want, bottle, refrigerate). When I travel, I try to have dried ginger or other hardcore ginger-doused items on hand (like this doctor suggests with apples).
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 2:50 PM on September 8, 2015

I also have this issue, and like Mallenroh, as an elementary schooler I misidentified it as "morning sickness" in my head. I also have mild vasovagal syncope (fancy talk for feeling faint), which is worse in the mornings, with exercise/temperature change, and with any amount of dehydration. I'm much more likely to feel like I'm going to faint, puke or both if I, say, make a dash to catch public transit first thing in the morning while not hydrated enough, and then end up on a humid train packed full of people.

So after a series of incidents feeling ill and almost passing out on BART when I lived in the Bay Area, I now get up earlier than I need to so that I'm not rushing around, go to sleep even earlier so that I can get 7.5-8 hours of sleep, and when I wake up, I deliberately drink at least 12 ounces of water. Lukewarm works best on my stomach, ymmv.
posted by deludingmyself at 5:00 PM on September 8, 2015