Quite literally. How come when we feel “confused”, we start getting the need to expel the contents from our stomach?

I get that we get sea-sick because of “mixed signals” coming in to our brain. But why do we feel nauseous? How come the centre of the problem becomes the stomach, and not some sort of heightened sense of needing to find balance?

Hope this question makes at leasr some sense. Thanks!

  • ImplyingImplications@lemmy.ca
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    90
    ·
    1 year ago

    There’s a part of your brain called the chemoreceptor trigger zone which triggers the vomiting reaction. Dizziness is one of the things which can activate this zone. It’s thought that since dizziness is a common side effect of poisons, we’ve evolved to vomit whenever we’re dizzy.

    • Otter@lemmy.ca
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      10
      ·
      edit-2
      1 year ago

      That might bring up a follow-up question

      why is dizziness a common side effect of poisons

      My guess was that some poisons affect the nerves, or decrease blood supply to the brain? I don’t have anything more specific though

      • NeoNachtwaechter@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        12
        ·
        edit-2
        1 year ago

        some poisons affect the nerves

        Many poisons (for example, alcohol) affect the nerves directly, i.e. the transport of the electric there. The first impact is that the brain (and the spinal cord of course) does not receive the sensoric info properly anymore. And then the body does not follow the brain’s commands anymore.

  • XaeroDegreaz@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    24
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    1 year ago

    I think it has something to do with a built-in defense mechanism. When you feel dizzy like that, one of your body’s reactions is “oh snap, I think I ate something bad. Get rid of it”.