What is happening in that “wave” of nausea that overcomes you right before you vomit?
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It’s partly psychological; you recognize the signs of upcoming vomit, you associate that with being sick
Partly it’s because your blood pressure drops, leading to a sensation similar to how you can get dizzy if you stand up too quickly
Partly it’s because your body creates adrenaline when you vomit, and adrenaline does make you feel nausea if you are not otherwise distracted
I also taste salt water a few seconds before I vomit. I always taste the saltwater, and only once did I taste it I didn’t actually puke. Otherwise it’s every time I get that taste, it’s straight to a toilet
It’s like a thermostat. The thermostat senses when the temperature in the house is too hot or too cold and sends signals to the furnace or air conditioner to turn on. The enteric nervous system (ENS) senses when something is wrong in the GI tract and sends signals to the brain to induce vomiting.
The vomiting reflex also includes strong intestinal contractions moving in a reverse direction, bottom to top. The initial contractions are generally not strong enough to push intestinal contents through the thoracic cavity into the mouth because the upper esophageal sphincter is skeletal muscle and its contraction is quite strong. Thus the vomitus comes up then goes back down in response to an esophageal contraction moving down. The esophagus responds to stretch of its walls by contracting to push material down. This cycle may be repeated several times until sufficient pressure builds to overcome the contraction of the upper sphincter. When the upper sphincter releases, vomitus enters the mouth. Depending on the pressure generated the vomiting may or may not be projectile – blown out vs dribbles. The yellow color of vomitus is bile staining, the recognizable smell is pancreatic fluid (a mixture of enzymes in a sodium bicarbonate solution).
I suddenly get this watery mouth sensation and that’s when i run to the nearest vomit deposit box.
Hypersalivation and retroperistalsis secondary to activation of the parasympathetic nervous system.
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