Fatigue and nausea symptoms: Causes, When to Seek Help, and More

31.07.202310.06.2023 by alexxlab

Causes, When to Seek Help, and More

Fatigue and Nausea: Causes, When to Seek Help, and More

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Medically reviewed by Judith Marcin, M. D. — By Rachel Nall, MSN, CRNA — Updated on May 23, 2018

What are fatigue and nausea?

Fatigue is a condition that is a combined feeling of being sleepy and drained of energy. It can range from acute to chronic. For some people, fatigue can be a long-term occurrence that affects their ability to carry out daily activities.

Nausea occurs when your stomach feels uneasy or queasy. You may not actually vomit, but you may feel as though you could. Like fatigue, nausea can stem from many causes.

Seek immediate medical help if your fatigue and nausea are accompanied by:

difficulty breathing
headache
chest pain
fever
thoughts of harming yourself
yellowing of the eyes or skin
slurred speech
repeated vomiting
lasting confusion
abnormal eye movement

Lifestyle changes can frequently help reduce fatigue and nausea. Schedule an appointment with your doctor if you don’t feel rested even after a full night’s sleep.

If you have cancer, ask your doctor about interventions that could enhance your energy levels.

This information is a summary. Always seek medical attention if you’re concerned you may be experiencing a medical emergency.

Healthy habits, such as getting enough sleep, eating healthy foods, and exercising regularly can help you find relief from fatigue and nausea. Avoiding bad habits such as smoking, drinking excess alcohol, or abusing drugs can also help reduce fatigue and nausea.

Your doctor may prescribe medications to treat an underlying condition.

Home care

Staying hydrated by drinking clear liquids can help relieve fatigue and nausea. Maintaining a healthy activity level that doesn’t involve exercising excessively can also help prevent or reduce these symptoms.

Fatigue can impact your overall well-being. Take the following steps to prevent the onset of fatigue and nausea:

Get enough sleep each night (typically between 7 and 8 hours).
Manage your schedule so that your work does not become too demanding.
Refrain from drinking excessively.
Refrain from smoking and abusing drugs.
Eat small meals and drink plenty of water.
Exercise regularly.

Last medically reviewed on July 10, 2017

How we reviewed this article:

Healthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations. We avoid using tertiary references. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

Fatigue. (2017).
cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/supportivecare/fatigue/Patient/page1
Nausea and vomiting. (2013).
my.clevelandclinic.org/symptoms/nausea/hic_nausea_and_vomiting.aspx
Mayo Clinic Staff (2016). Fatigue.
mayoclinic.org/symptoms/fatigue/basics/definition/sym-20050894
Mayo Clinic Staff. (2017). Nausea and vomiting.
mayoclinic.org/symptoms/nausea/basics/definition/sym-20050736

Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available.

Current Version

May 23, 2018

Written By

Rachel Nall, MSN, CRNA

Edited By

Tracey Crate

Jul 10, 2017

Medically Reviewed By

Judith Marcin, MD

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Medically reviewed by Judith Marcin, M.D. — By Rachel Nall, MSN, CRNA — Updated on May 23, 2018

Causes, symptoms, treatment, and more

Fatigue and nausea are common symptoms that often occur together. In some cases, these symptoms may develop as a result of lifestyle factors, such as poor sleep or diet, or lack of exercise. In other cases, they may signal an underlying medical condition that requires treatment.

Fatigue is a term that describes a lack of energy or a feeling of tiredness or sluggishness. Nausea is a feeling of discomfort in the stomach or a feeling of needing to vomit.

This article outlines the potential causes of combined fatigue and nausea and lists the medical treatments and home remedies that may help alleviate these symptoms. We also provide advice on how to prevent fatigue and nausea and when to see a doctor.

Fatigue and nausea can co-occur as a result of:

lifestyle factors
short-term, or acute, illnesses
long-term, or chronic, conditions

Some possible causes of fatigue and nausea are outlined below.

Lifestyle factors

The following lifestyle factors may cause fatigue and nausea:

staying awake too late
not getting enough sleep
eating too much
eating too late at night
drinking too much alcohol the night before
using recreational drugs
lacking physical activity
overexerting oneself
being jet-lagged

Infections

Certain infections may also cause symptoms of fatigue and nausea. Examples include:

bacterial infections, such as:
- Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection
- Escherichia coli (E. coli) infection
- chlamydia
viral infections, such as:
- influenza
- Epstein–Barr virus (EBV)
- hepatitis
- poliovirus
- Ebola virus
- malaria
- dengue fever
parasitic infections, such as:
- hookworm infections

Psychological causes

Mental health issues can sometimes cause physical symptoms, including fatigue and nausea. Examples include:

anxiety
stress
depression
loss and grief

Hormonal issues

Fatigue and nausea can sometimes occur as a result of a condition that affects the hormones or the endocrine system that makes the hormones. Examples include:

hyperthyroidism
hypothyroidism
hyperparathyroidism
hypercalcemia
Addison’s disease

Neurological conditions

Issues that affect the nerves and the nervous system may also cause symptoms such as nausea and fatigue. Examples include:

migraines
epilepsy
concussion
traumatic brain injury (TBI)
multiple sclerosis (MS)
brain tumor

Other conditions

Other conditions could also cause nausea and fatigue with or without additional symptoms. Some examples include:

reactions to animal bites or stings
food poisoning
food intolerances or allergies
celiac disease
inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
peptic ulcer
hypertension
heatstroke
premenstrual syndrome (PMS)
endometriosis
sleep apnea
chronic fatigue syndrome
diabetes
kidney disease
liver cirrhosis, or liver failure

Fatigue and nausea are common during the early stages of pregnancy. Doctors use the term “morning sickness” to refer to nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, although these symptoms may occur at any time of day. A 2014 study notes that morning sickness occurs in around 85% of pregnancies.

If there is any possibility that a person may be pregnant, they should take a pregnancy test. If they are not pregnant, they should see their doctor to determine the cause of their morning nausea.

Feeling nauseous upon waking up may simply be the result of poor sleep or an upset stomach from the night before. However, it could also signal a more chronic underlying health issue.

It is fairly normal for a person’s energy levels to dip after eating. This happens because the body redirects blood to the digestive system to help break down food in the stomach.

Eating too much may cause a large dip in energy levels since the body has more food to digest. Overeating may also cause feelings of fullness or nausea.

Symptoms of fatigue and nausea after eating can sometimes signal a digestive issue. Other possible symptoms of a digestive disease include:

difficulty swallowing
acid reflux
heartburn
vomiting
bloating
abdominal pain
belching or flatulence
constipation
diarrhea
bowel incontinence
blood in stool
unexplained weight gain or weight loss

The treatment for fatigue and nausea depends on the underlying cause. Treating the cause should help eliminate or control the symptoms. Chronic conditions may require a long-term treatment plan.

Doctors may also prescribe treatments for the symptoms themselves. For example, a doctor may prescribe antiemetic drugs to reduce nausea and vomiting.

Certain home remedies may help manage the symptoms of fatigue and nausea. Some examples are outlined below.

Home remedies for nausea

The following home remedies may help settle an upset stomach and reduce feelings of nausea:

sipping a cold drink
drinking ginger or peppermint tea
eating foods containing ginger, such as ginger biscuits or candied ginger
eating multiple small portions
getting a lot of fresh air
finding distractions, such as listening to music, watching a movie, or reading a book

In addition, people should avoid the following:

preparing or eating strong-smelling foods
eating foods that are spicy, fried, or greasy
eating too fast
drinking while eating
wearing clothing that is tight around the waist or abdomen
lying down shortly after eating

Home remedies for fatigue

The following home remedies may help reduce fatigue:

eating smaller meals and healthful snacks every 3–4 hours
gradually decreasing caffeine intake over the course of 3 weeks
limiting alcohol intake and avoiding alcohol before bedtime
drinking more water to prevent dehydration and associated fatigue
gradually increasing physical activity
reaching or maintaining a moderate weight
going to bed and waking up at the same time each day, even on weekends
avoiding daytime naps
establishing or maintaining a relaxing bedtime routine
reducing stress levels through one or more of the following:
- working out
- practicing yoga or tai chi
- spending time with friends
receiving counseling or cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for fatigue caused by stress, anxiety, or low mood

Experiencing fatigue and nausea is not always a cause for concern. Sometimes, these symptoms are the result of poor lifestyle habits. Changing these habits should lead to an improvement or reduction in symptoms.

However, people should see a doctor if they experience severe, persistent, or worsening episodes of fatigue and nausea.

It is important to seek immediate medical attention for fatigue and nausea that are accompanied by any of the following symptoms:

chest pain or pressure
difficulty breathing
slurred speech
persistent confusion
continuous or repeated vomiting
fever
yellowing of the skin or eyes
suicidal thoughts

The above symptoms may indicate a serious underlying medical condition that requires prompt medical treatment.

The outlook for people experiencing combined fatigue and nausea depends on the underlying cause of these symptoms.

Fatigue and nausea are not always a cause for concern. This combination of symptoms sometimes goes away following appropriate lifestyle adjustments, such as changes in eating, sleeping, or exercise habits.

However, severe, persistent, or recurrent episodes of fatigue and nausea can indicate an underlying medical condition that requires treatment. In some instances, it may take time for a doctor to diagnose and treat the cause. Once a doctor has established a diagnosis and a treatment plan, a person will typically find relief from these symptoms.

It may not be possible to prevent all causes of fatigue and nausea. However, the following factors may reduce a person’s risk of developing these symptoms:

staying hydrated
limiting alcohol and caffeine intake and avoiding either before bedtime
avoiding large meals and eating late at night
getting plenty of sleep each night
following basic personal hygiene to help prevent infections
eating a healthful diet and exercising regularly to reduce the risk of health conditions that can cause fatigue and nausea
alleviating stress through one or more of the following:
- mindfulness meditation
- breathing exercises
- yoga or tai chi
seeking therapy for mental health issues, such as anxiety or depression

Fatigue and nausea are symptoms that commonly occur together. In some cases, they are the result of lifestyle habits, such as poor sleep or diet, or lack of exercise. In other instances, they may signal an underlying mental or physical health issue that requires treatment.

Sometimes, a person may experience symptom relief after using home remedies to aid sleep, alleviate stress, or improve diet. However, if these changes do not lead to an improvement in symptoms, a person should see their doctor.

Anyone who experiences severe, persistent, or recurrent episodes of fatigue and nausea should seek a medical diagnosis and treatment. Following appropriate treatment, most people should experience an improvement in their symptoms.

Nausea and weakness

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+7 (343) 355-56-57

Nausea and weakness doctor. Sometimes dizziness or headache, fever, discomfort in the abdomen are added to these manifestations of the disease. It will not be possible to independently diagnose and determine the exact cause of the disease, only a doctor can do this, and the main task of the patient is not to delay visiting the doctor.

Causes of drowsiness, headache, nausea and weakness

The described health problems can occur for a variety of reasons. Let’s look at each of them.

Diseases of the endocrine system

One of the most common causes of weakness, nausea and aching headaches are diseases of the endocrine system. Any violation of the hormonal balance of a person is accompanied by unpleasant symptoms.

Diabetes. One of the most common pathologies in the world associated with the fact that the pancreas is not able to produce the right amount of insulin or glucose from the blood cannot be absorbed by the tissues. This causes a constantly elevated concentration of glucose (sugar) in the blood, which affects all organs and systems. The first manifestations include constant thirst, severe weakness, dry mouth. Sometimes a person may experience slight nausea.
Hypothyroidism. A disease that develops due to an insufficient amount of thyroid hormones in the body. If the deficiency is slightly expressed, then weakness or apathy, weight loss or, conversely, weight gain, the appearance of goiter will prevail among the symptoms.

Both diseases require serious treatment, and the sooner it is started, the less the risk of complications. Therefore, if you have these problems, you should immediately seek advice from an endocrinologist.

Sometimes weakness and nausea, and sometimes vomiting, become the first signs of pregnancy and indicate the onset of toxicosis. To confirm, you need to visit an obstetrician-gynecologist.

Intoxication

Poisoning is a dangerous condition that requires urgent medical attention. Weakness, nausea, sometimes vomiting, pain in the abdomen, a feeling of fullness in it, copious loose stools. All this may be accompanied by increased body temperature, aching, lowering blood pressure, arrhythmia. What is the most common poisoning?

Food products. This is the most common reason for getting poisoned. It usually proceeds in a mild form, is treated at home and does not require hospitalization. However, some poisons can cause a very vivid picture of the disease with a long course, and then hospitalization is required.
Medicines. This usually happens by negligence, when a person confuses the dosage. It is a common reason for children to be hospitalized when medicines in the home are within their reach. Drug poisoning requires immediate medical attention and hospitalization, since high doses of drugs have a strong negative effect on the patient’s body.
Alcohol. High doses of alcohol or prolonged use of alcoholic beverages, as well as the use of surrogates, is the reason why many adults end up in the hospital with symptoms of intoxication.
Poison mushrooms. During the mushroom picking season, mushroom poisoning occurs frequently. Their toxins can be fatal, especially if help was not provided immediately due to the fact that the patient decided to self-medicate.

Similar symptoms of intoxication occur with the bites of insects or poisonous animals. The cause of severe weakness, nausea, pain in the abdomen, headache can be toxic gas poisoning, which happens at work and at home.

All dangerous poisonings are treated in an infectious diseases hospital or in the intensive care unit. Sometimes it may be necessary to consult a therapist, neurologist, psychiatrist, as different organs and systems may suffer.

Diseases of the heart and blood vessels

Pathologies of the heart and blood vessels can be congenital or acquired. It seems to many that with such diseases the heart should hurt, but this is not so. Severe headaches, weakness, dizziness, nausea, drowsiness can also occur with such diseases. Such complaints occur in people with the following pathologies:

Hypertension. High blood pressure is the main reason for visiting a general practitioner after the age of 50. This condition without treatment can cause many complications, so the first episode of high blood pressure requires an appointment with a therapist. Among the manifestations are weakness, nausea, headache, tinnitus, palpitations, irritability, sweating.
Atherosclerosis. This is a disease in which the walls of blood vessels are affected. Plaque deposits quickly form on them, which causes narrowing of the blood vessel, its deformation and blockage. Diseases are very dangerous because a significant violation of the blood supply to organs and systems can develop, and tissues that do not receive enough oxygen and nutrients for a long time cease to function normally.
Hypotension. This is a condition in which there is a decrease in blood pressure. A person can feel sick, he has headaches, general malaise, weakness, lethargy, apathy, poor exercise tolerance, with a sharp decrease in pressure, there is a possibility of fainting.

For the prevention of any diseases of the cardiovascular system, it is necessary to consult a cardiologist once a year for a consultation. It is recommended to regularly take general and biochemical blood tests and do an ECG, and in case of the slightest violations and the appearance of any symptoms or discomfort, immediately consult a doctor.

Other causes

Other causes can cause weakness, drowsiness, nausea and headache. Sometimes these common signs indicate severe fatigue, worries, stress. Compliance with strict diets along with active exercise should be attributed to the same group of provoking factors.

Why else can a patient complain about nausea and weakness at the doctor’s office? There are a number of diseases that require more thorough diagnosis and long-term individually selected treatment. It can be migraine, anemia, neoplasms of the brain, both benign and malignant.

Sometimes nausea and weakness are associated with diseases of the inner ear. It can be Meniere’s disease, chronic otitis media, vestibular neuritis, motion sickness.

Which doctor to contact

If you complain of nausea, weakness, headache and dizziness, it is best to go to the general practitioner for the initial consultation . He will collect an anamnesis, listen to all complaints, conduct a survey and examination. Then you will receive a referral for tests – this can be a general analysis and biochemistry of blood, a blood test for sugar, an ECG, an ultrasound of internal organs.

When all the results of the examination are received, at the secondary appointment, the general practitioner will prescribe the correct and individually selected treatment and advise you to contact other doctors for a consultation. It can be an endocrinologist, a cardiologist, a psychotherapist, an infectious disease specialist, an ENT doctor.

It must be remembered that any manifestations of the disease and complaints of the patient require a mandatory visit to a specialist. You can not rely on self-treatment or expect that all manifestations will one day go away by themselves. In order to quickly cope with the disease and prevent the development of complications, it is necessary to make an appointment as soon as possible.

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What is chronic fatigue syndrome and how it manifests: signs and treatment 900 01

Muscle pain, memory loss, poor sleep and even nausea and vomiting can all be manifestations of chronic fatigue syndrome.

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Health problems

Women Health

What do these symptoms mean?

Relieve stress

Stress

If you have noticed these signs in yourself, chronic fatigue syndrome may be the case for you.

Contents of the article

Do not self-medicate! In our articles, we collect the latest scientific data and the opinions of authoritative health experts. But remember: only a doctor can diagnose and prescribe treatment.

Causes of chronic fatigue syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome, which is especially susceptible to residents of large cities, as well as those who constantly face increased responsibility for the life and well-being of other people and constantly experience increased emotional stress, develops gradually. The development of the disease can be provoked by past viral diseases (including the common flu), life in a dysfunctional social and environmental environment, as well as severe or prolonged stress.

The first symptoms are seldom recognized as signs of a disease – most often they are attributed to fatigue and lack of energy. But over time, there are more and more signs, and it is important not to waste time and seek help so as not to face more serious consequences of the disease.

Muscle weakness

Everyone who has worked hard in the gym or at least once in his life worked properly in the field of repair or agricultural activity, is familiar with the state of muscle weakness. The inability to perform the usual physical activity, weakness and even trembling in the muscles is normal after the received load. But if you encounter this without a serious reason, perhaps we are talking about chronic fatigue.

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Photophobia

Headaches that occur under the influence of certain artificial lighting, the need to squint to see objects without irritating the eyes are symptoms of sensitivity to light or photophobia. One of the causes of which may be chronic fatigue syndrome.

Nausea or vomiting after physical exertion

If, even after small physical activities that you previously coped with almost imperceptibly, you feel nausea and even vomiting that do not go away for a day or longer, you should consult a doctor . Moreover, it is desirable as soon as possible, also because nausea and vomiting can be a symptom of a heart attack.

Problems concentrating

People with chronic fatigue syndrome often don’t get enough sleep at night, which causes their brains to fail to “reboot” and work in energy-saving mode. Because of this, there may be difficulties with concentration, problems with memory, perception and analysis of information.

Swollen lymph nodes

Enlarged and painful lymph nodes warn that the body has to fight a virus or infection. Often, chronic fatigue syndrome occurs as a response of the body to past viral diseases, so it is not surprising that it is often accompanied by an increase in lymph nodes.

Memory gaps

If you cannot remember why you came to the room, where you put important documents, or what you were going to do or say in the next minute, this can also be a manifestation of chronic fatigue syndrome. Consult a doctor!

Pain in muscles and joints

Inflammation is one of the body’s responses to an infection or virus that it has to fight. Inflammation of muscle or joint tissue may be a sign that our body is fighting a virus that has triggered chronic fatigue syndrome. But in any case, you should consult a doctor.

Insufficiently deep sleep

As you know, we get the most complete rest during the deep sleep phase. But people with chronic fatigue syndrome can sleep through the night, but never get a proper rest, as they will constantly be in the REM phase – and wake up just as tired as the day before, when they just went to bed. If this situation repeats itself day after day, you should definitely contact your doctor for help and support.