Why Is It Called 'Morning Sickness' If It Can Occur At Other Times Of Day?

Updated Jan 3, 2025 | 06:00 AM IST

Why Is It Called 'Morning Sickness' If It Can Occur At Other Times Of Day?

SummaryMorning sickness is influenced by hormonal shifts, particularly elevated hCG and progesterone levels. These changes, vital for pregnancy, can trigger nausea and vomiting, commonly in the first trimester but not limited to mornings.

If you thought "morning sickness" was confined to sunrise, think again! Most pregnancy's popular label doesn't play by the clock, proving it's more than just an early-bird experience. Pregnancy is a journey filled with excitement, anticipation, and a fair share of challenges. Among these challenges is the phenomenon of morning sickness, a common experience for up to 80% of pregnant women. Characterized by nausea and vomiting, this condition often strikes in the early stages of pregnancy.

Despite its name, morning sickness is not limited to the morning, leading many to question why it is called such. This article explores the nuances of morning sickness, its causes, symptoms, and why it earned its misleading moniker.

What Is Morning Sickness?

Morning sickness is a condition characterized by nausea and vomiting that is usually present in pregnant women, especially in the first trimester. Even though it is often one of the earliest symptoms of pregnancy, it can continue all day. In most cases, symptoms abate during the second trimester, but for a small percentage of women, discomfort persists until delivery.

It is more common in women with multiple pregnancies, and its symptoms can range from mild to extreme. In some cases, the condition presents itself as hyperemesis gravidarum, an extreme condition requiring medical treatment.

Why Is It Called 'Morning' Sickness?

The name "morning sickness" originated from the fact that the condition is most active when waking up. This can be partly because of the physical changes a pregnant woman experiences during this time.

Low Blood Sugar: Blood sugar levels are usually at their lowest in the morning, and pregnancy exacerbates these drops because of the increased energy demands of the growing fetus.

Hormonal Fluctuations: The hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) peaks during early pregnancy and may stimulate nausea, particularly after periods of fasting, such as overnight.

Digestive Changes: Higher progesterone levels cause a relaxing effect in the stomach and intestines. Stomach acids begin to build up inside, leading to nausea. While this happens, "morning sickness" is somewhat of a misnomer since 2% of women actually say they have all symptoms confined strictly to the morning. Others call for it to be renamed to "all-day sickness.".

Interestingly, morning sickness may have an evolutionary purpose. Researchers theorize that it acts as a protective mechanism, steering pregnant women away from foods that could harm the developing fetus. Foods like raw eggs, poultry, and certain meats are often avoided due to their potential for contamination, which aligns with the aversions many women experience during pregnancy.

What Causes Morning Sickness?

The exact reason for morning sickness is unknown; however, several are thought to cause it:

Hormonal Changes

Hormonal changes and the high concentration of hCG and estrogen present during pregnancy result in nausea and vomiting. Thyroid Hormones The rapid change in thyroxine levels as caused by the increase in hCG can stimulate digestion and can increase symptoms of nausea. Hypoglycemia Low sugar levels in blood, especially post-fasting can worsen the nausea.

Genetics

A family history of morning sickness may predispose a woman to it. Symptoms of Morning Sickness Morning sickness usually manifests as:

Nausea with or without vomiting. Aversion to certain smells or foods. Symptoms are most severe in the first trimester but can last longer.

While typically tolerable, more severe forms may need to be treated by a doctor due to dehydration or substantial weight loss.

Also Read: Waking Up With Nausea In The Morning? Surprising Causes Beyond Pregnancy And Solutions

What Is Hyperemesis Gravidarum?

For fewer than 1% of pregnant women, morning sickness escalates into hyperemesis gravidarum, characterized by:

- Severe nausea and vomiting.

- Loss of more than 5% of pre-pregnancy body weight.

- Electrolyte imbalances.

It may need hospitalization for hydration and nutritional supplementation.

Other Possible Causes of Nausea and Vomiting in Pregnancy

Not all nausea and vomiting in pregnancy are caused by morning sickness. Other conditions that mimic its symptoms include: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Thyroid disorders. Gallbladder disease. Appendicitis or pancreatitis. A proper diagnosis should be undertaken by a healthcare provider if the symptoms are not following the typical pattern of morning sickness.

How to Live with Morning Sickness

Even though morning sickness can't be avoided entirely, some remedies help ease symptoms:

Eating small, frequent meals to keep blood sugar stable

Avoiding foods and smells that cause a reaction

Staying hydrated with water and electrolyte-rich fluids

Taking ginger or vitamin B6 supplements as directed by a healthcare provider

When to See a Doctor

Medical doctors will be needed to give stronger anti-nausea drugs when needed for very serious cases. Though termed "morning sickness," most women get nausea throughout their pregnancies. There isn't clear consensus about its etiology; it's mostly known to result from hormonal fluctuations, low blood sugar, and perhaps a component of evolution.

Education about this illness and causes could better guide many pregnant women on how to make the phase as painless as possible.

Most morning sickness subsides as the pregnancy advances, and a healthier, more comfortable path to motherhood is opened up.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice. Always consult a healthcare provider for concerns about pregnancy-related symptoms.

Morning sickness in pregnancy: mini review of possible causes with proposal for monitoring by diagnostic methods

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Do Fevers Make Your Brain Work Differently?

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Updated Apr 27, 2025 | 07:04 PM IST

Does Fever Make Your Brain Work Differently?

SummaryFever is often an indication that your body is dealing with unwanted components like germs and bacteria, causing your body to overheat. But can it affect your brain functions like it affects you physically?

We have all have experienced fevers, there are many different beliefs about it in different cultures and multiple ways to treat it, ranging from modern medicine to ancient practices. When one has a fever, their body feels warm and weak, they also do not have energy to do extended movements. As fevers are a range, some being slight to others being signs of dangerous conditions, dealing with them can be tricky. Things like fever dreams, conversations and thoughts are often incoherent. There are things called fever hallucinations as well, but why does this happen?

Fever means your body temperature has gone above what's normal. But what's "normal" can be a bit different for everyone and can change based on how active you are and the time of day. Generally, a fever is when your temperature is higher than 99 degrees Fahrenheit in the early morning or above 100 degrees Fahrenheit at any other time.

Do Fevers Make Us More Irritable?

In a 2013 review published in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, the researchers found that not only do fevers cause people to feel cold, weak and other bodily sensations, but the participants also expressed emotional changes, vivid dreams/hallucinations.

In one of the interview with a participant from the study, researches noted them experiencing feelings of anxiousness, crabby, angry and frustrated, “Like I said, I think fever is really tied in to how you feel emotionally. Because I know every time I have a fever, I just get snotty, for lack of a better term, because I'm just really agitated.”

“I feel tired. I feel irritable”

How Is Body Heat And Brain Health Connected?

Harvard Heath explains a part of your brain called the hypothalamus acts like a thermostat for your body. When you're healthy, it keeps your body at its usual temperature. A fever happens when the hypothalamus gets set to a higher temperature than normal. This change in the brain's thermostat is usually caused by tiny things in your blood called pyrogens.

According to a 2023 review by Yale School of Medicine heat can change things in the environment, it can also change how our brains work. In a study, researchers found that even small increases in temperature while the brain is active can really change what the brain does, and sometimes these changes can be negative.

Experts from Yale explain that changes in temperature in the brain also affect how our nerve cells (neurons) fire signals. These cells have tiny pumps that give them electrical energy, which they release when the brain is active. The researchers found that if brain cells get heated up too fast, faster than these pumps can adjust, the cells might become more active or less active than usual.

Even tiny temperature changes from brain stimulation can lead to big changes in neuron activity. As neurons get warmer, they can even stop working, and when they cool down again, they can become very easily excited.

Fever Hallucinations and other Psychological Affects

According to an Infections & Chemotherapy 2022 review, fevers can cause febrile convulsions, which is a seizure caused by a fever in young kids. It can also cause confusion, like not understanding where you are, not recognizing your surroundings. It can also cause unstable emotions, conscious and cognitive disturbances like illusions on hallucinations.

These can also be symptoms for things like influenza infections or encephalitis. Like the Yale experts explained even small temperature changes can have such a big impact on brain activity, we need to start paying attention to these small changes. He points out that it's a basic rule of physics that when you send electricity through wires to stimulate the brain, you will create heat, both in the wires and in the brain tissue itself.

Researching more on these matters can help us find better treatments and help doctors change the course of several procedures to help their patients.

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Turkey Bans Elective C-Section Deliveries—Here's Everything You Need to Know About This Surgery

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Updated Apr 27, 2025 | 07:24 PM IST

Turkey Bans Elective C-Section Deliveries—Here's Everything You Need to Know About This Surgery

SummaryPlanned Caesarean sections cannot be performed in a medical centre, the Turkish government announced.

Turkey has banned elective caesarean surgeries for childbirth at private hospitals and healthcare centres. "Planned Caesarean sections cannot be performed in a medical centre," said a gazette entry outlining new regulations governing private healthcare institutions in Turkey. It came as the country's president, Tyyip Recep Erdogan, has been pushing hard to have women give natural births, asserting that C Section surgeries promoted Western culture.

The move has triggered massive criticism from the opposition and right-wing organisations. "As if the country had no other problems, male football players are telling women how to give birth," Gokce Gokcen, deputy chair of the main opposition CHP, on X. Meanwhile, many human rights and women's rights organisations have also raised their voices against this new law, calling it out for restricting women's rights and liberty.

ALSO READ: After HIIT, Is Jeffing The New Go-To Cardio Workout

What Is A C-Section Birth?

C-section or caesarean birth is a surgical procedure wherein a baby is delivered through incisions made in mother's abdomen and uterus. The name caesarean comes from the Latin word "caedare" which means "to cut." Interestingly, there are rumours that link the name to Roman emperor Julius Caesar, stating that he was the first person to be born via this procedure. However, there are no records of this.

However, there are many cases where a caesarean section surgery becomes almost necessary. A doctor may order a C-section if:

  • Your baby is breech, or the lower part of the body is in the birth canal instead of the head.
  • Your baby is in a transverse position, or lying sideways in the birth canal.
  • Your baby’s head is unusually large.
  • Your baby’s heartbeat is slowing down, or there is a problem with oxygen delivery to your baby.
  • You are giving birth to more than one baby. Sometimes one baby will be in an abnormal position, so all of the babies are then born via C-section.
  • Your baby has a birth defect that makes vaginal delivery unsafe.
  • You have umbilical cord issues.
  • You have health conditions that make vaginal delivery unsafe. These include high blood pressure, HIV, open herpes lesions, or heart problems.

What Are The Complications Of Having a C-Section Surgery?

There are many complications that come with this method of delivering a child. They include:

  • Reactions to the medicines used during surgery
  • Bleeding
  • Abnormal separation of the placenta, especially in women with previous cesarean delivery
  • Injury to the bladder or bowel
  • Infection in the uterus
  • Wound infection
  • Trouble urinating or a urinary tract infection
  • Delayed return of bowel function
  • Blood clots

Bottom Line

Despite the potential risks and complications, C-sections are much safer than they once were. With evolution in medical science, doctors are now taking great care to make incisions that will reduce the risk of nicks to the baby and infections to the mother. Meanwhile, the use of anaesthesia, also reduces the pain of the childbirth.

ALSO READ: Dishonesty Is 'More Than A Vice', It Could Make You Sick With

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Dishonesty Is 'More Than A Virtue', It Could Make You Sick With Anxiety

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Updated Apr 27, 2025 | 05:57 PM IST

Dishonesty Is 'More Than A Vice', It Could Make You Sick With Anxiety

SummaryFrom a very young age, our parents try to embed honesty in our brains and behaviors. They explain how it is the best policy and how you should never do it from a moral standpoint. However, other than ethics, does it affect our body in any way?

Being dishonest doesn’t come naturally to people, it is a learned virtue, whether out of necessity or pleasure. When kids lie, a lot of it stems from them not wanting to get in trouble, for example, breaking a household item or doing something they were told not to do like running around inside the house. However, when people do learn to tell lies, it can become like a go to tendency for many. It is easier to make something up rather than explaining complex truths.

According to a study published in the Psychological Science 2015, kids start lying around the age of two to three years old. Their habit then progresses rapidly, till the age of 3 and 7.

Not all lies are the same, some are really small and don't hurt anyone, like saying you like someone's new haircut even though you don't. These little white lies often just help keep things smooth and make people feel good. Then there are much bigger lies, like saying someone else did something wrong when they didn't, or lying to people about money. These kinds of lies can cause a lot of damage and have bad consequences for people's lives.

Stress Response of Lying

When we know that being dishonest could really hurt how others see us, the act of lying itself makes our bodies feel stressed. When we tell a lie, things start to happen without us even thinking about it. A 2015 review published in the Current Opinion in Psychology explains that our heart might beat faster, we might start to sweat a little and our mouth can feel really dry. These physical changes are what those old-fashioned lie-detector tests used to try and pick up on.

Some people don't feel as much empathy as others, and they might not have the usual stressed reaction when they lie. The American Psychological Association explains that some people can learn to control their bodies really well and might be able to lie and still pass a lie-detector test. On the other hand, someone who is telling the truth but is just really nervous about being tested might look like they are lying.

Gut-Brain Connection and Extreme Reactions

While it's not common, some people might have a really strong physical reaction to lying, like feeling sick to their stomach or even throwing up a lot. This shows how connected our gut and our brain are. When we feel really anxious, like when we are worried about getting caught in a lie, it can actually make our stomach feel bad. So, for someone who is constantly lying and worried about it, this anxiety could potentially lead to physical sickness.

Living a life where you are often not telling the truth can actually take a toll on your health over time, not just in the moment. Research has suggested that people who lie a lot might have problems like high blood pressure, their heart might beat faster more often, their blood vessels could get tighter, and they might have more stress hormones in their bodies on a regular basis.

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