If you’re thinking about taking part in Sober October, this might be the best reason yet to go for it.
A simulation showing what happens inside your body when you throw up has left people on social media feeling nauseous just from watching it.
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.
That’s when the retching starts, as the diaphragm and abdominal muscles contract, while the vagus and splanchnic nerves send signals to the esophagus, pushing everything upwards until it finally comes out.
