Night time nausea - GERD or something else?

[Divvy]

Hello,

I'm a sixteen year old girl who for the past five nights has been waking up very nauseous. Anywhere between 2-4AM, I'll suddenly wake up and feel very sick to my stomach. There's no pain, I just feel very nauseated. I don't throw up (possibly because there isn't enough food in me at the time), but I do end up "dry heaving" some of the time. I don't generally burp a lot during this, and it doesn't seem to be a gas issue.

It seems strange that this is only happening at night, and I've never had this problem before. It seems to be related to laying down, because often when I first lay down to go to bed I'll feel slightly sick, and if I lay down for more than ten or fifteen minutes during the day I'll sometimes get sick. I've been changing my routine so that I'm not eating right before bed, and I'm backing away from foods that have been listed as possible causes, to no avail.

I'm wondering if it's possible I have GERD, or if it's related to something else.

I've been told that perhaps it's my birth control pills, I'm currently on Yaz. I've been taking these for about two months and never had any problems before. It's impossible for me to be pregnant, because I'm not sexually active and only taking the pills for regulation.

This is a very frustrating problem because I have sleeping issues as it is, and staying up most of the night is really taking its toll on me. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much!

-Drew

[Ratnakar Kini]

Hi Drew,

The symptoms you have described look like that of GERD.
A 24 hours pH monitoring and upper GI endoscopy may help in the diagnosis.

PPI will relieve the symptoms.
A few life style modifications need to be followed -

Life style modifications -
1. Head elevation while sleeping
2. Small frequent meals
3. Going to bed 2- 3 hours after food
4. Avoiding bed time snacks
5. Avoiding smoking and alcohol
6. Avoiding tight fitting clothes
7. Avoiding cola, citrus drinks, carbonated drinks, tea, coffee, spicy food
8. Weight reduction
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The information provided is for patients’ education only and is not a medical advice. Always consult your personal physician for complete evaluation of your health problem.
- Ratnakar Kini M.D.

[AHigherVibration]

Ginger tea helps with an upset stomach.  Put some by your bed so when you wake up feeling sick you can sip it and go back to sleep.  Have you seen your doctor?

Rene