Do you feel nauseous, dizzy, break into a sweat or even vomit in a moving vehicle, plane, or amusement park ride? You might have motion sickness. Motion sickness is a very common disturbance of the inner ear. It is caused by repeated motion from a vehicle or any other movements that affect the inner ear. When riding on a boat or ship, it is commonly referred to as sea sickness – but it is the same disorder.
To break it down, Motion sickness occurs when your body is getting conflicted signals. If you’re on an automobile or amusement park ride and you are focused on the floor or a book your eyes are telling you that you are not moving. But your ear is sending a signal to your brain that you are indeed moving. So instead of your body realising you are reading a book on a vehicle which is a normal activity your body thinks it is being poisoned and the only way to deal with poison is to vomit it all up, hence the nauseous feeling you get.
If you know you have motion sickness or might be prone to it, consider this:
- On a ship/boat: Gaze into the distance at stationary objects. Try staring at the horizon for a few minutes.
- In an airplane: Choose a window seat and look out the window. A seat closer to the front of the airplane and directly on the plane wings is more stable than the other seats and your body is less likely to react during flights.
- On a train: Always face forward and sit near a window.
- In a vehicle: Sit in the front seat; if you are the passenger, look through the windshield. For some people, driving the vehicle (rather than being a passenger) is an instant remedy.
Other tips to prevent or minimize motion sickness:
- Do not read in a moving vehicle. As stated in the example earlier, if you are prone to motion sickness, reading is likely to worsen it.
- Get plenty of rest. Sleep for 7-9 hours before you travel. Being worn out can make you more susceptible to motion sickness.
- Don’t take greasy or acidic foods. Stay away from heavy, greasy, and acidic foods in the hours before you travel. These types of foods – such as coffee, orange juice, dodo, pancakes – are slow to digest, and in the case of coffee, can speed up dehydration. Better choices include breads, cereals, grains, milk, water, apple juice, apples, or bananas. Do not skip eating but do not overeat.
- Drink plenty of water to keep your mouth moist and urine light in color.
- Do not drink large amounts of alcohol the evening before you travel. Alcohol speeds up dehydration and generally lowers your body’s resistance to motion sickness, if you are prone to it.
- Stand if you feel queasy. Stand up, if you can, and look out over the horizon. Despite what you might think, sitting or lying down actually may make you feel worse.
- Don’t smoke and avoid others who smoke.
- Eat dry crackers. Dry crackers may help settle a queasy stomach. Chewing gum can also help, as the chewing motion helps keep your
- Use the seat head rest. Lean your head against the back of the seat or head rest when traveling in vehicles with seats to minimize head movements.
- Avoid others who have become nauseous with motion sickness. Seeing and smelling others who have motion sickness may cause you to become sick.
There are medications that also help with motion sickness especially with severe cases which you can get from consulting your doctor.
