How to Prevent and Treat Motion Sickness on Vacation
While I have taken hundreds of car rides, plane rides, train rides, boat rides, and even several cruises, I was fortunate enough to never experience motion sickness. This changed when I went on a cruise in the Greek islands. The boat hit rough seas and was rocking heavily, and I felt ill. While I never vomited, I hadn’t come prepared with anything to treat motion sickness since I had never had it.
I interviewed via email Brad Doyle, Brand Manager for Insight Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the company that makes the motion sickness medication Bonine. It’s made to be less drowsy than other motion sickness medications, and you only need to take it once a day. When I ask Brad why this annoying condition happens, he says, “Motion sickness happens when the inner ear, the eyes, and the deeper tissues of the body’s surface, called proprioceptors, send conflicting signals to the brain. This throws off our sense of balance. The most common symptoms include nausea, dizziness, sweating, vomiting, headache and fatigue.”
It’s most common to feel motion sickness on moving planes, trains, boats, or cars, but it can even be felt at movies with large screens. Even IMAX films say at the beginning that if you start to feel ill, you must close your eyes.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention says that women who are on hormones, are pregnant, or menstruating are more susceptible to getting motion sickness, as are people who suffer from migraines. But anyone who is in a situation with the right stimuli is at risk to get motion sickness except for infants and toddlers.
Things to do to help motion sickness:
-If you’re traveling on a boat or in a car, you may find it helpful to keep your gaze fixed on the horizon or another stationary point.
-It helps to breathe deeply through your mouth rather than just through your nose.
-If you’re on a car or plane, turn the air vent toward your face.
-Motion sickness can be eased by carefully choosing where you are located. Sit in the front seat or a bus or car, and if you can, driving instead of riding may help. Being in a central cabin on a ship or sitting over the wing of a plane will cause you to feel less movement.
-In the 24 hours leading up to air travel, stick to light meals or low-calorie snacks.
Don’t do these:
-Particularly on windy and bumpy roads, it’s a bad idea to read in the car.
-Smoking will make you feel worse.
-It’s not smart to travel on an empty stomach, but you also shouldn’t overeat or eat greasy food or strong-smelling foods.
-Don’t sit in the back of a plane or car.
-Don’t sit backward when riding a train.
-Don’t go below deck on a boat if you can; removing the horizon from your view could make you feel worse.
Many people say that drinking Ginger Ale or taking ginger capsules drastically help their motion sickness. According to the CDC, aromatherapy using mint or lavender or sucking on flavored lozenges can help take away your nausea.
Want to find out more about travel tips on motion sickness and more? Then visit Maiden Voyage for information on that and other travel health issues, such as travelers’ diarrhea.