Tracey Brigman, clinical associate professor in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences’ nutritional sciences department, spoke with SELF about why coffee makes some drinkers feel nauseous — and how to avoid that feeling.
Drinking coffee can cause nausea that makes it hard to eat, increases anxiety and “impact[s] your ability to complete any tasks you have at work,” Brigman said.
The key word is “can,” not “does.”
“Everybody’s different,” Brigman said, so “it’s really dependent upon the individual.”
Coffee can boost production of gastric acid, a digestive fluid. But “having more acid production can cause some GI upset,” which can lead to nausea, Brigman said. Additionally, increased GI tract contractions caused by coffee can also spur on nausea.
One way to combat coffee-induced nausea is to make sure you’ve eaten enough beforehand.
“Your stomach, it needs something to do,” Brigman said. When you drink coffee on an empty stomach, “there’s not a lot in there to work with, and so that can cause some issues.”