Trees pass by your car window or waves roll under your boat, and suddenly you start to feel nauseous. The feeling increases in your stomach, your breathing quickens and you may become dizzy, sweaty or irritable. You may even vomit. Why? Are you experiencing seasickness, a common condition that will affect almost everyone at some point in their lives.
Whether your summer plans involve boats, road trips, or roller coasters, you’ll want to figure out what’s fueling that unhealthy feeling and what you can do to overcome it (or avoid it in the first place). Here’s what the experts say.
What causes motion sickness?
“In simpler terms, motion sickness is a form of dizziness,” Dr.Natascha Tuznik, associate clinical professor of infectious diseases at the University of California, Davis Health, tells Yahoo Life. “Sickness occurs when the information we receive is mixed or in conflict with what our body is actually doing.”
A situation where your body isn’t moving but your brain is feeling movement – riding a car, boat, plane, train, roller coaster or elevator, wearing a virtual reality headset, or even snorkeling in the ocean on a busy day – can cause nausea.
For example, when you are on a boat, your body stays still, but your brain may think it is moving because of messages from your eyes, inner ear (vestibular system) and the nerves (somatosensory system) are sending are in conflict. As objects like another boat or lighthouse pass by, your eyes detect movement and send a signal to your brain that you are moving. Simultaneously, the inner ear and somatosensory system tell the brain that you are still. Your brain has difficulty processing the different information, so you start to feel bad.
Normally, “the worst happens when there are changes in movement”, Dr. Júlia Adamian, clinical professor in the department of medicine at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, told Yahoo Life. “For example, if you are traveling in an airplane, this happens mainly during the ascent and descent because of the change in pressure and these movements.”
Why are some people more prone to motion sickness?
“Almost everyone in their lifetime has had or will experience motion sickness to some degree,” says Tuznik. However, some people have worse motion sickness than others, and the reason for this is still unclear. But while doctors can’t predict who will feel sick or when, there are some factors that make it more likely.
Generally, women are more likely to feel motion sickness than men, and children tend to experience motion sickness more than adults. “Children under age 2 are typically resistant, but ages 2 to 9 are much more prone because their internal ear canals are still developing,” says Tuznik. People who experience migraine attacks are also more likely to feel nauseous.
Acute changes in people’s health can also affect the likelihood of motion sickness, says Adamian. For example, hormonal fluctuations – such as menstruation, pregnancy or perimenopause – can make nausea worse. A history of sinus infections or recent colds can also make someone more likely to feel sick because their inner ear may be temporarily affected.
Even a person’s mindset can affect an individual’s chances of suffering from motion sickness, says Tuznik. Let’s say riding a roller coaster has already made you sick and you’re about to do it again. You may go into the experience preparing to feel sick, and this can make you more likely to feel sick again.
Does motion sickness improve with age?
The improvement in motion sickness over time can vary greatly between individuals. “Some find that their symptoms may improve over time, but others [symptoms] it gets worse,” says Tuznik. There is no way to predict what will happen.
The only exception to this general rule are those who suffer from migraines, adds Adamian. “Sometimes with age, migraines get better, and if the migraine gets better, the nausea may get better.”
How can I avoid motion sickness?
There are things you can do to lessen the chance of feeling sick or to ease symptoms once they start. Here’s what the experts say.
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Stay hydrated and eat something small. “Dehydration and hunger can increase the effect of something like motion sickness or make it more likely to occur,” says Tuznik. Furthermore, while there is no evidence to suggest that any specific food, including peanutscan cure motion sickness, Adamian advises that you eat a small meal to fill your stomach.
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Choose your seat carefully. Sit in the front passenger seat of a car, near the wing of an airplane, facing forward on a train, or on the lower level of a ship to avoid busy seats, suggests Tuznik.
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Try acupressure bands. They press the P6 acupressure point. “Non-Western medicine has been found to be helpful for some people when it comes to reducing nausea,” says Tuznik. She adds that while there is no research to support claims that motion sickness glasses featured on TikTok really help, it might be worth trying as they are relatively cheap.
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Avoid known triggers, like reading or using your phone. Tuznik tells people to avoid reading or looking at a stationary object like their cell phone while commuting, because this facilitates the mismatch between the still body and the motion of movement.
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Suck ginger candy. Adamian encourages patients to suck on a ginger candy before and during travel because it has been proven to help with motion sickness.
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Focus on the horizon. It can help to focus on a point on the horizon after symptoms begin, says Adamian.
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Try an over-the-counter medicine. Many people take a Dramamine (or Bonine, which is taken once a day) before a boat trip or similar situation, but Tuznik recommends testing it first. The medication works similarly to an antihistamine, she explains, and can cause adverse symptoms in some users. “While it works to reduce motion sickness symptoms, it can cause drowsiness, dizziness, and even decreased mental alertness,” she notes.
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Talk to your doctor about prescriptions. Some people, especially those who will be traveling for long periods of time, such as those going on a cruise, may want to consult their doctor about prescription medications. Both Tuznik and Adamian have seen patients benefit greatly from Scopolaminea skin patch that can be worn behind the ear for up to three days to prevent nausea and vomiting caused by motion sickness, which they say is less sedating than other medications.
A multifaceted approach—like experimenting with medications, stocking up on gingerbread treats, and avoiding the urge to read in the car—tends to produce the best results. “I wouldn’t say that if you just take the medication you can ignore all the other factors – every little bit helps,” says Adamian.
