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Doctors explain why you have morning sickness... but you're not pregnant

Doctors explain why you have morning sickness... but you're not pregnant

Feeling nauseous in the morning usually rings alarm bells for women - or sparks office rumours. But morning sickness does not necessarily mean you are pregnant, according to leading doctors.

AMA Council of General Practice chair Dr Brian Morton told Daily Mail Australia that morning sickness can also be caused by other factors - including hormonal imbalance, reflux, sleep apnoea, stress or depression.

Dr Morton said the release of hormones from the brain determined whether we were a morning or night person.

He said feelings of nausea could be caused by the brains inability to release natural hormones, such as adrenalin or serotonin, when you wake up in the morning.

‘Our day/night rhythm is slightly different for different people,’ he said.

'For women too it can be a change in hormone levels during the month.' 

Dr Morton said morning sickness is not just limited to women, but could be experienced by anyone.

Another common cause is reflux, caused when the mechanism between the oesophagus and stomach is not working efficiently, allowing acid to regurgitate up.

‘’You might get a bitter taste in the mouth or pain at the lower part of the abdomen,’ Dr Morton said.

To prevent reflux, Dr Morton suggested making sure you had dinner, or shifting your big meal of the day to lunchtime instead of just before bed.

‘For some people it will work to raise the head of the bed so your head is higher than your feet,’ Dr Morton said.

Sleeping itself can also be the cause of morning sickness.

People who suffer from sleep apnoea, a condition that can cause you to stop breathing during the night, can wake in the morning feeling unrested and nauseous.

‘People snoring is one of the symptoms,’ Dr Morton said.

‘It’s often observed by the partner rather than yourself.'

People who suffer from stress, depression or anxiety can feel physical symptoms such as sweating, palpitations or nausea.

If the feelings of anxiety were caused by work, Dr Morton said they might not pass until you face the day.

‘It may not go until you face that reality, and for some people, it doesn’t go all day,' he said.

The good news it morning sickness can easily be treated.

Dr Morton suggested over the counter antacids or a glass of milk to treat reflux, but it can be as simple as getting on with your day.

‘For some people you can just get up, have your shower and have breakfast,’ he said.



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