Motion sickness is dizziness, nausea and
possibly vomiting that occurs when traveling in a moving vehicle such as a
car, boat, or airplane. Each
form of transportation seems to have its own specific term (car sickness,
sea sickness, altitude sickness) but all refer to the same problem. The term “motion sickness” will be used throughout this
material to refer to all of these forms of sickness.
The specific terms will be used only when the material is unique to
that form of sickness.
Motion sickness is usually just a minor
annoyance and does not signify any serious medical illness.
Symptoms are often
treatable and, even when not treated,
the symptoms go away shortly after the motion stops. However, severe cases and those that become progressively
worse deserve the attention of a physician with specialized skills in
diseases of the ear, nose, throat, equilibrium, and neurological systems.
Motion sickness produces a whole range of symptoms, of
which nausea and vomiting are the most severe. Symptoms generally follow a
path of increasing severity. Abrupt
vomiting without early warning or the presence of other symptoms is rare,
usually only occurring in space flight and other zero-G situations.
Early indications of motion sickness onset may include:
 | Pallor
(paleness, especially in the face) |
| Headache |
| Increased
salivation and swallowing |
| Eructation
(the medical term for belching and burping) |
| Flatulence
(the medical term for passing gas) |
| Feeling
Faint |
| Feeling
cold and clammy |
| Breaking
out in sweat, especially on the upper lip or forehead |
| Yawning
and drowsiness OR feeling giddy or restless |
| Upset
stomach |
| Nausea
(the sensation associated with anticipation of vomiting) |
| Emesis
(the medical term for vomiting) |
| Retching
(unproductive vomiting movements or dry heaves). |
It is not known why some people develop motion sickness
and others do not.
While most everyone experiences motion sickness at one time or
another, statistics have been able to show who is more likely to
experience motion sickness. Remember,
falling into one of these categories does not guarantee that you will
experience motion sickness. You
may be an exception. However,
knowing your risk factor may help you to be prepared with remedies “just
in case”.
Those
more susceptible to experience motion sickness are:
·
women
·
passengers (those in control experience less motion
sickness)
·
children
·
adults under the age of 50 (Adults over the age of 50
rarely suffer from motion sickness)
·
people of Asian ancestry
·
anyone fearful and anxious during a trip
·
those prone to experiencing nausea or vomiting
·
those prone to experiencing migraine headaches
You
are more susceptible (not guaranteed) to experience motion sickness if you
have:
·
an inner ear disturbance, especially a recent one
·
an unusually good vestibular (inner ear) function
·
a rare, central nervous system disorder of the part of the
brain that processes signals from the inner ear
·
a hangover
·
eaten fatty, spicy or greasy foods
·
consumed citric juices
Many
medical conditions or medications may cause nausea and vomiting.
Experiencing motion sickness may worsen the nausea and vomiting
already associated with the condition/medication.
·
inner ear infections
·
diabetes
·
gall bladder disease
·
dehydration
·
chemotherapy agents
·
antibiotics
Passengers
are far more prone to motion sickness than those at the controls. There
are at least two separate reasons for this.
·
Motion sickness is triggered by discrepancies between
anticipated orientation and actual orientation. If you're at the controls
of the airplane (or boat or car), you tend to know what's coming and this
seems to confer a certain amount of immunity.
·
Being in control of how long the flight or trip will last
and having the ability to end it at will is an important factor in
relieving the anxiety that contributes to motion sickness.
If
you fall into several categories listed above, remember, motion
sickness is a condition that may become more tolerable with time and
exposure. A study of military pilot trainees showed that roughly 17
percent experience motion sickness serious enough to interfere with
aircraft control, but only about 1 percent actually wash out due to
airsickness. The rest simply learn to deal with the sensory conflicts. The
same is true of aerobatic pilots. Almost
everyone experiences symptoms of motion sickness on first exposure to
high-G maneuvers, but those who stick with it tend to develop more
tolerance over time.
Motion sickness is a conflict between your senses.
The brain relies on messages from your inner ear, muscles, and eyes
to tell it how your body is moving. When any of these systems send
different messages, you can get queasy.
Some examples include:
·
If you're reading in
the car, your inner ear knows you're moving, but your muscles think that
you are sitting still and your eyes don't see anything moving because
they're looking at the page.
·
On an airplane or in
the cabin of a boat or ship, your inner ear senses the motion, but your
eyes only see the cabin, which looks stationary.
Your
body may sense rolling motions that you cannot see from inside a cabin.
·
Conversely, during a "virtual reality" simulation, your
eyes perceive movement that your body (inner ear and muscles) does not
experience.
These conflicting signals end up at the nausea center of the brain
and motion sickness is the result.
Motion
sickness can be understood in more technical terms. Our brains and body rely on the vestibular
apparatus, the three semicircular canals of the inner ear, to maintain our
balance. Each canal detects
our position within a certain plane of space, also known as our spatial
orientation. This allows us
to move around in a three-dimensional world while remaining balanced.
Each
of the three canals is responsible for detecting a particular plane of
space (up/down, left/right, front/back).
Within each of these canals are small calcium deposits that are
called otoliths (ear stones). Anytime we move out of a particular plane of
space these little stones move and nerve transmissions send signals to our
brain. In most situations of
movement, this is not a problem for the brain to handle. However, in some
situations in which movement is chaotic (like in a boat, car or airplane)
the brain may misinterpret the nerve transmissions. For some this
may eventually cause queasiness, nausea and possibly vomiting.
As
noted earlier, our sense of sight can contribute to our brain’s
confusion about our position and movement.
Some smells can also contribute to the onset of nausea and
vomiting, so it’s best to avoid nauseating odors.
Several Days or Weeks ahead of time
| Talk
to your physician or pharmacist.
Try any motion sickness medication you care to try well before
your trip. This way you’ll be aware its side effects on you well
ahead of time, giving you the opportunity to try another medication if
necessary. |
24 hours ahead of time
| Avoid
alcoholic beverages at least 24 hours before travel. |
| Avoid fatty, spicy, greasy or old food. |
| Get plenty of rest/sleep before traveling. |
| Take ginger capsules |
Up to a few hours ahead of time
| Eat a light meal.
Carbohydrates (bagels, crackers) help to settle the stomach. |
| Avoid any beverages
that may cause upset stomach or dehydration (acidic juices, carbonated
drinks, alcohol, caffeine). |
| Review your maps
ahead of time, especially if you are the passenger expected to
navigate. |
| Make use of motion
sickness prevention products in advance.
See the product instructions and follow manufacturer’s
advice. |
| Take ginger capsules
or eat gingersnap cookies (flat ginger ale may be effective if it
contains ginger root). |
While Traveling
| Eat bland foods such
as crackers, bread, bananas, rice, applesauce or toast. |
| Drink plenty of
fluids (not caffeine, alcohol, acidic or carbonated drinks).
Water or milk is recommended. |
| Do not read while
traveling. |
| Focus on the horizon.
|
| Avoid strong odors. |
| Try not to think about getting sick.
|
| Avoid other travelers who
may be experiencing motion sickness. |
| Keep children
occupied and keep them from talking about feeling sick, especially in
front of other children. |
If you Feel Nauseated
| Crackers during the
trip will help to reduce nausea. |
| Get as much fresh air as possible. |
| Apply cold packs or ice to the eyes & neck. |
| Breathe deeply. |
| Immerse your feet in ice water. |
Prevention for Specific Types of Travel
ON THE ROAD
| Always sit in the front of a vehicle and look
out the front window only. |
| Do not sit in a
rear-facing seat. |
| Ask the driver to go
easy on the turns and brakes. |
| Ask the driver to
pull over if you need to read a map. |
| Place children in an
elevated child seat that provides a good outside view. |
| Sit near the front of
the bus to avoid the fumes and the motion in the rear.
This will also allow you to look out the front rather than the
sides of the bus. |
ON THE
SEA
| Stay on deck with the
fresh air and avoid going below deck while underway. |
| Look towards the
horizon and try to get your balance. Try to roll with the boat instead
of stiffening up and fighting the motion. |
| Stay out of direct
sunlight as much as possible to avoid becoming overheated. |
| Avoid strong odors,
like gasoline or diesel fumes. |
| If you feel
nauseated, stand up and look out over the horizon. Do not lay down and
close your eyes while feeling sea sick. |
| Request a cabin near
the center of the ship (center between bow and stern as well as
starboard and port). |
| Get out of the cabin
and up on deck where visual input agrees with inner ear sensations of
motion. |
| If feeling nauseous,
avoid the upper decks. The
higher you go, the more you will experience swaying back and forth.
|
| Ship doctors usually stock medications and
other products to avoid or treat sea sickness. |
|
Eat a mild meal before diving, leaving time to
for digestion. |
|
Drink plenty of water and bring water with you
and drink often. |
|
Once the boat anchors and the boat is rolling
with the waves, your resistance to motion sickness diminishes rapidly.
Make sure you and your partner have your gear prepared so that you can be
ready to dive as soon as possible. |
|
Once you are in the water, drop down below the
surface since the top ten or fifteen feet (3 to 4.5 meters) can still have
a surge that will have an effect on you. Dropping below that can have a
calming effect on your senses (and your stomach). |
|
Have some water and fruit before and between
dives to rehydrate. |
|
Get away from other divers who are experiencing
sea sickness. |
|
If you feel you will get sick, avoid the entry
and exit areas of the boat. Hang your head over the gunwales and avoid
upchucking in areas other divers must use. |
|
Be careful not to swallow sea water.
It makes many people nauseous.
Make sure your mouthpiece fits well and that you have your
regulator comfortably and securely in your mouth so as to keep water out. |
IN THE AIR
| Ask for a window
seat. The front of the plane may be preferable, as it is usually less
noisy. |
AMUSEMENT RIDES
| Should you feel ill,
close your eyes so you can't see the horizon moving. |
| On constant-G-force
rides, try to keep your head still and face the way you are traveling.
|
| Don't tilt your head.
Tilting your head sideways is likely to confuse your balance
system which may lead to queasiness. |
| If
you do feel nauseated, draw in large amounts of air through your mouth
and hold for a second or two, and repeat several times. This will
temporarily reduce the immediate urge to throw up, hopefully until you
exit the ride. |