Motion sickness is triggered by movement, or sometimes the perception or anticipation of movement.
Doesn’t matter if you’re in a moving plane, train, car, boat, or even a rollercoaster; if it’s moving, you might experience motion sickness.
How can you tell if you’re feeling awful because of motion sickness rather than food poisoning or flu? There’s a temporal (time) association, meaning if you feel fine before the boat or rollercoaster starts moving, and feel nausea, dizziness, and cold sweats during the ride, chances are it’s motion sickness.
You can be fairly certain that you are susceptible if you usually experience these symptoms when in a moving boat, car, etc.
Onset occurs when your body/inner ear feels movement, but your eyes can’t see the movement – for instance, if you’re below deck on a moving boat and your eyes can’t see that the boat is moving, but your body feels the movement. Or, if you’re enjoying a ride in virtual reality, your eyes see movement, but your body doesn’t feel it.
The disconnect between the two is what triggers motion sickness.
There are practical steps to take that help ease the symptoms, including:
- Keep a cool air flow pointed toward your face
- Sit or stand where you can see the horizon
- Don’t read or watch videos
- Don’t eat heavy, greasy foods or drink alcohol within 12 hours of travel
- Do eat light snacks and stay hydrated
There are some drugs that may be helpful in relieving symptoms or preventing onset of motion sickness. Talk with your healthcare provider about these options.
ReliefBand is a practical, drug-free choice to prevent motion sickness.
Image courtesy of Pixabay
