What should you know about sick feeling in stomach anxiety?

When you feel anxious, the body’s alert response can change stomach emptying, bowel movement and breathing patterns. You may notice queasiness, a fluttering stomach, dry mouth, sweating, racing thoughts or an urge to vomit, especially before a stressful event. A pattern that comes with worry and eases as you calm may fit anxiety, but it does not prove anxiety is the cause. Nausea can also occur with Acid Reflux, Gastritis, Gastroenteritis, Food Poisoning, Gallstones, Heat Exhaustion, Hepatitis A or Hypoglycaemia.

Move to a cool, quiet place and loosen tight clothing. Breathe slowly with a longer exhale, sip fluids, and try small bland meals if you can eat. Avoid large meals, alcohol and strong smells while symptoms are active. Keep a brief record of triggers, food, medicines, bowel symptoms, menstrual timing and stress. Gentle walking or a grounding exercise may reduce anxious arousal. Do not assume every episode is anxiety, particularly when nausea is new, steadily worsening or unrelated to stressful situations.

Arrange medical advice for nausea that keeps returning, prevents normal eating or drinking, causes weight loss, or comes with ongoing abdominal pain, fever or yellowing of the skin. Seek urgent help for severe or localised abdominal pain, blood or coffee-ground material in vomit, confusion, fainting, chest pain, severe headache, stiff neck, or signs of dehydration such as very little urine. A clinician can review medicines, hydration, pregnancy possibility and the pattern of symptoms before deciding whether tests are needed.

Ask: Does my timing fit anxiety or another cause? Which symptoms should I track? Could a medicine, reflux or blood-sugar problem contribute? What can I safely take for nausea? Would support for anxiety, counselling or another treatment help?