HYDERABAD: Most doctors would tell you that ‘morning sickness’ is a terminology dedicated to describe nausea that pregnant women experience during the first 13 weeks of their pregnancy. However, this sense of morning nausea can happen to both women and men. Work-life imbalance, stress and sleep disorders, alcohol intake resulting in hangover and dehydration and sudden shifts in lifestyle are the predominant factors triggering the ailment among men and women these days.
Dr Karthik Kumar, medical officer at DocOnline, a platform that provides access to doctor consulting services digitally, says, “Morning sickness is most common in pregnant ladies. Rarely, partners of pregnant ladies also undergo similar sickness. Such condition is called Couvade Syndrome where the expectant father experiences pregnancy symptoms like nausea, insomnia and mood swings. But morning sickness, more appropriately morning nausea, can otherwise happen due to various reasons. Symptoms usually are vomiting, dizziness and headache.”
According to the trends observed between January and April by DocOnline, there is an increase in the number of men in Hyderabad taking consultation for morning nausea as compared to women. Morning nausea can potentially affect the sleep cycle of a person and also lead to obstructive sleep apnea, a serious sleep disorder. “Morning nausea can happen to anyone, especially when someone is too obese, and they do not get proper oxygen during their sleep which in turn increases carbon dioxide in the blood. This leads to severe headache in the morning hours,” adds Dr Karthik.
Based on the analysis of 500 patients who sought online doctor consultation, reportedly, 59 per cent men took consultations for morning nausea as compared to 41 per cent women. Commenting on the issue, Rahul Paith, COO, DocOnline said, “It is interesting to note people are more aware today. When they know they have a busy day lined up, and are feeling sick in the morning, they are promptly reaching out for remedies through these online doctor consultations, instead of waiting to go and visit a doctor physically.” The remedies, nevertheless, depend on the cause. “Every ailment is to be diagnosed based on the patient’s health history and the cause to treat them accordingly, but in general, regular workouts, avoiding too much exposure to computer screens, proper sleep, and avoiding too much stress can surely be helpful,” informs Dr Karthik, before signing off.