Can Constipation Cause Vomiting and How to Prevent it

According to the American Gastroenterological Association, a study published in 2013 found that 16% of the U.S. adult population suffers from constipation.

Being constipated can trigger a variety of symptoms, including irritability, moodiness, and brain fog. This is due to the close relationship between the digestive and nervous systems.

Anything that affects one system affects the other, leading to various reactions, such as vomiting.

When the intestinal transit is sluggish, you may feel gassy and not hungry due to congestion. Nausea, abdominal pain, and vomiting are part of this discomfort that affects the daily chores of those who suffer from it.

How Are Constipation and Vomiting Linked?

The digestive tract is a system that regulates the passage of food from the mouth to the anorectal portion; anything that occurs along this pathway can affect other areas of the gastrointestinal tract.

When the colon is full of stool due to fewer bowel movements and the stomach receives food, it may respond with vomiting due to the gastrocolic reflex. This reflex is activated after meals to alert the rectum that it can now release waste.

If the stool does not come out and is impacted in the rectum due to chronic constipation, the gastrocolic reflex will continue to be activated, causing stomach pain.

How to Prevent Constipation and Vomiting?

Diet is a fundamental point in the prevention and control of digestive health, so it is important to carefully select what you put on your plate so that it does not affect you negatively. These are the most effective ways in which you can relieve constipation and its added symptoms, such as vomiting: 

Eat plenty of high-fiber foods 

Foods high in soluble fiber are beneficial because they require a great effort from the intestine to be mobilized since they cannot be properly digested; that is why they remain as a residue that gives consistency to the stool and gives them volume thanks to the capacity to absorb water.

The foods with a higher content of soluble fiber to improve bowel movements are legumes, whole-grain cereals, whole-wheat bread, and oat bran. If you don’t consume enough fiber daily, try a fiber supplement.

This recommendation will significantly improve constipation and prevent the vomiting that occurs due to constipation; however, if you are suffering from frequent vomiting, don’t eat high-fiber foods that day to avoid worsening stomach discomfort.

Stay hydrated 

Water is an important factor as it helps mobilize all the fiber you eat. A dehydrated bowel and chronic constipation cause dry and hard stools that cannot circulate easily, getting impacted in different areas of the intestine.

If vomiting, drink water in small sips to relieve stomach acidity and keep you hydrated. In addition to water, consume enough fluids through different options such as herbal teas, lemon water, green smoothies, and broths.

Add vegetables to your diet 

Vegetables are an excellent source of insoluble fiber, which increases the bulk of the feces and helps them pass quickly through the intestinal tract. This type of fiber acts as a prebiotic, allowing beneficial bacteria to feed and ferment the intestinal contents for better stool transport.

The best choices that contain insoluble fiber are asparagus, corn, potato, pumpkin, green beans, and broccoli. If you are having a lot of vomiting, don’t eat them raw, so they don’t stay in your stomach so long and are easier to digest.

Try the keto diet

Although the keto diet does not allow a large intake of high-fiber foods, using this method of eating can be the key to resetting your gut and helping it function efficiently.

Changes in the eating pattern where processed products are removed and healthy fats are added help heal the digestive system favoring bowel movements and preventing vomiting.

You just need to know how to choose the most appropriate carbohydrates within the allowed percentage without going out of ketosis. To make this process easier, you can use apps like Keto Cycle, which help you calculate your calories, adjust your plan, and give you thousands of recipe ideas to succeed and lose weight.

Conclusion

Constipation is a condition that affects many people worldwide, causing a wide variety of gastrointestinal symptoms and nervous manifestations such as irritability, fatigue, and lack of concentration. 

The nervous network that dominates the digestive tract is responsible for sending messages between the stomach and the rectum, occasionally producing vomiting due to slow intestinal transit.

The longer the stool remains stagnant, the harder and drier it becomes, worsening the problem. Improving eating habits is the most effective solution because through dietary changes, you provide fiber, water, and prebiotic foods, all highly beneficial for the health of the gastrointestinal tract.

In addition, the keto diet plays an important role because it provides a wide variety of nutrients through healthy fats and high-quality proteins, creating an ideal environment to improve bowel movements for smoother and effective digestion.