My 96 year old mother wakes up at night and is nauseated, she is fine during the day generally. Why???

There are wedges that can be put under her pillow or like said elevate her mattress using rolled up towels or blankets.

My SD was told to put 2x4s under the head of the bed legs and that would help with the reflux.

We were all amazed at how much difference 2 inches made for him, yet you couldn't even feel it laying in the bed.

How is the pepcid working? Have you tried a bedtime snack to see if that helps? A half turkey sandwich can help her with sleep and get some extra protein, which is always beneficial.

Nausea at night is usually a symptom of an underlying condition. Some of the most common causes include acid reflux, anxiety, medication side effects or peptic ulcers.  Nausea at night is usually treatable, either with self-care remedies or by a doctor.

Is the Pepcid helping? If not, Prilosec is a stronger medication for acid reflux conditions, which may be the culprit. If she feels better not sleeping with an empty stomach, then she may have found the treatment herself!

Hi,
You may want to make sure her head and shoulders are elevated by putting a pillow under her when she is laying down or elevate the head of her bed a bit! If she's got acid reflux, this can help her! Also, digestive enzymes can't hurt! God bless you and your mom!

If she has no pain, only nausea, it doesn’t sound like GERD or aesophagus spasm. I have the latter, and it is stopped by eating something stiff like a crust to break up the muscle spasm, but it comes with pain not nausea.

In early pregnancy, I found that swallowing a ‘lump’ of yoghurt was the most help for nausea. I’m sure she’s not pregnant, but that might be worth a try.

If it's some kind of acid reflux, would it help to incline the top of her bed a bit?

Msbarbie, I have issues with GERD and find lying down for the night it will suddenly appear without warning. Does your Mom get a strange gasoline type taste in her mouth? Or a burning in her throat?

For me, I found crewing two Tums Smoothies before going to bed really helps. Check with your Mom's doctor first.

I also found Tums don't play well with some meds, so best taken a half hour before or a half hour after prescription meds. I found my blood pressure pills and Tums don't like each other.

Tums also have calcium, so that's a plus :)

Does she have any complaint of burning? Do you make certain she isn't eating for a few hours before bedtime? Often the valve into the stomach weakens and allows for reflux. It can cause acid for sure. Wishing you luck. It could also be a hiatal hernia. Which puts pressure upward positionally. There isn't a lot to be done about that but no eating before bedtime. Glad you are having a doctor's input here.