Why do I feel nauseous when I have to poop?

Feeling nauseous when you have to poop can be caused by many possibilities. Nausea is a feeling of queasiness in the stomach. It can cause an unpleasant taste in the mouth and an urge to vomit. 

Feeling nauseous when you poop can be a result of constipation. Constipation can cause you to feel nauseous when you have to poop because as stool builds up in your intestines, it can allow food to linger in your stomach which can lead to feelings of bloating and nausea. An imbalance in your gut bacteria can also cause nausea when you have to ease yourself. 

In this article, you will get to know why you feel nauseous anytime you have to poop and if there are any ways to resolve or prevent them from occurring in the first place.

VIDEO: Why do I feel nauseous when I have to poop

What is nausea?

It is a feeling of sickness with an inclination to vomit. Nausea can have causes that aren’t due to underlying disease. Examples include motion sickness such as from a car and plane, taking some pills on an empty stomach, eating too much or too little, or drinking too much alcohol.

Why do I feel nauseous when I have to poop?

There are several possible reasons why you might feel nauseous when you have to poop. One possibility is that you have a gastrointestinal (GI) infection or inflammation, such as food poisoning, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), or gastroenteritis. These conditions can cause abdominal pain and discomfort, as well as nausea.

Another possibility is that you have a functional gastrointestinal disorder, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), which can cause abdominal pain, bloating, and changes in bowel habits, including diarrhea or constipation. Nausea can be a symptom of IBS.

It’s also possible that you are experiencing motion sickness, which can be triggered by the movement of your intestines as you try to have a bowel movement.

If you are consistently experiencing nausea when you have to poop, it’s important to talk to your healthcare provider to determine the cause and receive appropriate treatment.

What causes me to feel nauseous anytime I have to poop?

There are a whole lot of reasons for this. ranging from constipation, food intolerance, food poisoning, etc.

Below is a list of major causes of nausea when you have to poop.

Acid reflux

This is a common digestive disorder. Acid reflux is a digestive disease in which stomach acid or bile irritates the food pipe-lining. This is a chronic disease that happens when stomach acid or bile flows into the food pipe and irritates the lining. Heartburn, a major symptom of acid reflux begins in the chest and moves towards the mouth which results in nausea.

Digestive problems

Digestive issues such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) are also common causes of nausea. People suffering from this have reported that nausea is one of the first symptoms they experience anytime they want to poop

Medications 

Certain medications could make a person feel nauseated. Drugs like antidepressants, strong painkillers, and some allergy medication can cause you to feel nauseated anytime you want to poop

Bowel obstruction

Bowel or intestinal obstruction occurs when a blockage in your colon prevents the passage of stool. Due to stool still lingering in your system, it can cause a feeling of nausea.

Other symptoms of an intestinal blockage can include abdominal pain, vomiting, and abdominal swelling. Inflammation in the intestines from Crohn’s disease can cause a blockage, as well as infections like diverticulitis.

Food poisoning 

Although the symptoms of food poisoning are different in people, there is one symptom that is shared by everyone, nausea. The time it takes for the symptoms of food poisoning to pop up depends on the type of food poisoning you have.

Symptoms could show up as soon as 30 minutes to a week after you have eaten the contaminated food. Undercooked foods like meat and poultry, contaminated fruits and vegetables, raw seafood can also cause food poisoning. Accompanying nausea when it comes to food poisoning is diarrhea. 

Constipation 

Constipation can lead to stomach distention and bloating, which occurs the longer stools remain in your colon. This triggers an increase of bacteria in your colon, prompting a nauseous feeling. The main symptom of constipation is the inability to pass stool more than three times a week. It can also involve straining while passing stool, having lumpy or hard stool, or needing to use your fingers to remove stool from your anus.  

Food intolerance

When your body is not able to handle huge amounts of the specific food is what we call food intolerance. Food intolerance can make you suffer from constant nausea. Eating food that is very low in fiber and liquids can cause constipation leading to nausea.

Other people also feel nauseated after eating processed foods in excess. Lactose, fructose, and processed sugars are most likely to cause food intolerance nausea.

Stress 

Another cause of feeling nauseated when you are about to poop is stress. Stress causes the release of stress hormones in your body that negatively impact your digestive system. This can affect the way food moves through your body, causing you to experience nausea and stomach cramps.

Pregnancy

In the first trimester, the majority of women may experience morning sickness, which includes nausea and vomiting. Often referred to as morning sickness, it can occur at any time of the day. It is often one of the first signs of pregnancy. 

Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA)

Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a complication of type 1 diabetes that is life-threatening. Diabetic ketoacidosis happens when a person’s insulin levels in the blood become dangerously low. Symptoms of diabetic ketoacidosis include dehydration, abdominal pain, confusion, and nausea, and vomiting.

Dehydration

Dehydration is a condition caused by the loss of too much fluid from the body. This causes your stool to harden up. Dry, hard stools can happen when there isn’t enough water in your body and intestines. Lack of fluids can make it difficult for food or waste to pass through your intestinal tract.

Nausea, bloating and gas, slow down of bowel movement are all symptoms of dehydration.

Sedentary lifestyle

A sedentary lifestyle is a lifestyle type in which little to or no physical activity and exercise is done, as opposed to an active lifestyle. A sedentary lifestyle can also contribute to severe constipation, and eventually lead to nausea.

Regular exercise helps promote normal muscle contractions in the intestines. This aids stools to move easily through the bowels.

How to treat nausea?

Depending on the cause of nausea, the treatment used for one person will be different for another person. Here are some ways to treat nausea.

  • Drink plenty of fluids to help prevent dehydration.
  • Increase your physical exercises to improve constipation. 
  • Certain medications can help treat nausea.
  • Place a heating pad against your stomach. This can help relax the stomach muscles and ease your nausea. 
  • Sit up straight to avoid crunching your stomach, especially after eating. 
  • Apply a cool compress to the back of your neck.
  • Drink some ginger tea. Many studies show that ginger is an effective and inexpensive treatment for nausea.

The takeaway from this article

Experiencing nausea when you poop boils down to many causes. To properly treat it (nausea can be easily treated), it is best to identify the exact cause for you to know the best course of treatment to take.

WRITTEN AND EDITED RESPECTIVELY BY:

Michael Sarfo
Content Creator at Wapomu

Michael Sarfo is a graduate of the University of Ghana, Legon. He is a content creator for enochkabange.com and a writer for Wapomu

Chief Editor at Wapomu.com

MPSGH, MRPharmS, MPhil.

Isaiah Amoo is a practicing community pharmacist in good standing with the Pharmacy Council of Ghana who has meaningful experience in academia and industrial pharmacy. He is a member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, England, UK and currently pursuing his overseas pharmacy assessment programme (MSc) at Aston University, UK. He had his MPhil degree in Pharmaceutical Chemistry at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. He has about 5 years’ experience as a community Pharmacist and has also taught in academic institutions like KNUST, Kumasi Technical University, Royal Ann College of Health, and G-Health Consult. He likes to spend time reading medical research articles and loves sharing his knowledge with others.

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