Most upset stomacches resolve on their own within a day or two, and the right combination of simple remedies can make that wait far more comfortable. What works best depends on your specific symptoms: nausea, cramping, bloating, or diarrhea each respond to slightly different approaches. Here’s what actually helps.
Start With Small Sips, Not Big Glasses
When your stomach is upset, dehydration is often a bigger threat than the stomach trouble itself, especially if you’re dealing with vomiting or diarrhea. But gulping water can make nausea worse. Take small, frequent sips of clear fluids instead: water, diluted broth, or an electrolyte drink.
If you’re losing a lot of fluid, a simple rehydration solution helps your body absorb water more efficiently than plain water alone. You can make one at home by mixing 12 ounces of unsweetened orange juice with 20 ounces of cooled boiled water and half a teaspoon of salt. The ratios matter here. Too much salt or sugar can actually worsen diarrhea, so measure carefully or pick up a commercial oral rehydration solution from any pharmacy.
Ginger and Peppermint Actually Work
Ginger is one of the few natural remedies with real clinical backing for nausea. Compounds in ginger root appear to speed up how quickly your stomach empties and may act on the same pathways that anti-nausea medications target. Clinical trials have used doses ranging from 250 mg to 2 grams per day, split into three or four doses, and found that 1 gram per day worked just as well as 2 grams. In practical terms, that’s about half a teaspoon of freshly grated ginger steeped in hot water, or a couple of ginger chews from the drugstore.
Peppermint works differently. It relaxes the smooth muscle lining your digestive tract by blocking calcium channels in the gut wall, which is why it’s particularly good for cramping and bloating rather than nausea. Peppermint tea is the gentlest option. Enteric-coated peppermint oil capsules are stronger and designed to dissolve in the intestines rather than the stomach, making them a better choice if bloating is your main complaint. Skip peppermint if your issue is acid reflux, though. That same muscle-relaxing effect can loosen the valve between your stomach and esophagus, letting acid travel upward.
Use Heat for Cramps and Spasms
A heating pad or hot water bottle on your abdomen isn’t just comforting. Heat dilates blood vessels in the area, increasing circulation and boosting local metabolism. For your muscles, this means reduced stiffness and greater elasticity, which directly eases the spasms behind stomach cramps. It also helps clear fluid retention in the pelvic area, reducing the swelling that can press on nerves and amplify pain. Keep the temperature warm but not hot (around the level of a comfortable bath), and limit sessions to 15 to 20 minutes at a time.
What to Eat When Nothing Sounds Good
The old advice to stick strictly to bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast (the BRAT diet) is outdated. Those foods are fine for the first day or two, but they lack the protein and nutrients your body needs to recover. A better approach, according to Harvard Health, is to start with any bland, easy-to-digest food: brothy soups, oatmeal, boiled potatoes, crackers, or plain dry cereal all qualify.
Once your stomach starts to settle, typically after 24 to 48 hours, expand to more nutritious options like cooked squash, carrots, sweet potatoes without skin, avocado, skinless chicken or turkey, fish, and eggs. These are still gentle on the stomach but give your body actual fuel for recovery. The key principle is to eat small amounts frequently rather than full meals, and to avoid fatty, spicy, or heavily seasoned food until you feel consistently better.
Over-the-Counter Options by Symptom
Different products target different problems, so matching the right one to your symptoms matters more than grabbing whatever is closest.
- Nausea, diarrhea, or general queasiness: Bismuth subsalicylate (the active ingredient in Pepto-Bismol) is approved for nausea, diarrhea, heartburn, indigestion, and general upset stomach. It typically controls diarrhea within 24 hours and also helps with abdominal cramps. Avoid it if you’re allergic to aspirin, since it contains a related compound.
- Heartburn or acid-related discomfort: Calcium carbonate antacids (like Tums) neutralize stomach acid quickly and work best when the burning or sour feeling is your primary symptom. They won’t help much with nausea or diarrhea.
- Bloating and gas: Simethicone (Gas-X) breaks up gas bubbles in your digestive tract. It doesn’t address nausea or cramping but can relieve that uncomfortable, full-of-air pressure.
The Pressure Point on Your Wrist
Acupressure at a spot called P6 is a surprisingly well-studied technique for nausea. The point sits on the inside of your forearm, about two finger-widths above the crease of your wrist, in the small depression between the two tendons you can feel when you flex your hand. Press firmly with your thumb for two to three minutes, then switch wrists. This is the same principle behind anti-nausea wristbands sold for motion sickness and morning sickness. It won’t cure a stomach bug, but it can take the edge off when you’re feeling queasy and don’t want to take anything by mouth.
Symptoms That Need Medical Attention
Most stomach upset is temporary and harmless. But certain patterns signal something more serious. The American College of Emergency Physicians recommends seeking emergency care if abdominal pain is sudden and severe, doesn’t ease within 30 minutes, or comes with continuous vomiting. Pain in the lower right abdomen accompanied by fever, nausea, and loss of appetite could indicate appendicitis. Severe pain with vaginal bleeding may signal an ectopic pregnancy. And pain in the middle upper abdomen that worsens after eating, especially with fever and a rapid pulse, can point to pancreatitis.
Less urgent but still worth a call to your doctor: stomach pain that persists beyond a few days, blood in your stool or vomit, signs of dehydration (dark urine, dizziness, dry mouth), or a fever above 101°F that doesn’t resolve.