We’re all familiar with the unpleasant experience of throwing up—leaning over, head in hands, staring into the toilet bowl, often wondering why we went for that extra drink or didn’t check the expiration date on that seafood.
When you’re getting rid of those last bits of stomach acid, you might recognize remnants of the night before staring back at you, but do you actually know what’s happening inside your body as you’re ridding yourself of that questionable meal or extra shot?
What’s going on when you throw up?
Thanks to a simulation by GutDR, we now have a look at what’s happening on the inside just before your body ejects everything into the toilet—or wherever you end up.
The video shows parts of the digestive system like the small intestine, pyloric sphincter, stomach wall, and esophagus, with a bright green liquid gathering at the bottom of the stomach.
Soon, little blobs of the same neon green make their way up through the small intestine and into the stomach, one by one, until it’s full.
The science behind vomiting
According to Science Focus, when your body detects a “threat”—like too much alcohol, stress hormones, motion sickness, or a stomach upset—these signals are picked up by the brain’s chemoreceptor trigger zone (CTZ).
The inner ear is sensitive to swaying motions, while the vagus nerve is more tuned in to stomach issues. When the CTZ picks up one of these signals, it sets off a chain reaction.
The first thing that happens is your mouth starts producing extra saliva to help protect your mouth and teeth from the harsh stomach acid that’s on its way.
The glottis, located in your throat area, closes to seal off the airway, making sure nothing enters or exits the lungs.
Then, your abdominal muscles double down on the diaphragm’s efforts, tightening and increasing the pressure even more to force out the contents of your stomach.
One Twitter user put it perfectly: “I think I could’ve went without knowing how this happens , I can’t stand the feeling.”
Another added, “I almost vomited seeing this,”
Maybe Sober November doesn’t sound so bad after all?