What is motion sickness? It’s the uncomfortable feeling that you experience while traveling. It is also known as travel sickness, and it can happen with any mode of transport like road, air or sea. If you experience motion sickness often, your trips can become discomforting and hectic. In this blog, let’s discuss how to cure motion sickness permanently.
What Causes Motion Sickness?
Motion sickness is usually caused by an imbalance between what you see and feel. Your brain gets confused signals from your body, which makes you sick. For example, while riding in a car or bus, your eyes see one thing, but your inner ear might feel something different. And, your muscles can sense something else! Your brain becomes unable to react to all these mixed signals, thus making you dizzy or extremely uneasy. Certain activities like reading while traveling can also trigger motion sickness.
Who Might Get Motion Sickness?
Motion or travel sickness is more often experienced by women and children, but it can happen to anybody. Pregnant women are more prone to motion sickness when compared to normal women. Read these pregnancy travel tips for expecting moms. Motion sickness is not contagious like a fever or cold.
Motion Sickness Symptoms
Some people experience nausea, and others feel dizzy. Some may vomit, and others may just have a vomiting sensation. The level of uneasiness during travel sickness may vary from one person to another. Other common symptoms of motion sickness are given below.
- Headache
- Pale skin
- Loss of appetite
- Increased saliva secretion
- Tiredness
- Shallow breathing
- Discomfort or pain in the stomach
- Excessive sweating
The symptoms of motion sickness can make you feel embarrassed, especially while traveling as a group. If you are a person who frequently faces travel sickness, your travel/journey can become highly uncomfortable and scary. Every time you plan to have a trip with your family or friends, you may feel the dread rising in you.
But don’t worry! We can provide you with some techniques that will help you combat your sickness and enjoy your trips!
5 Effective Ways to Cure Motion Sickness
If you wish to know how to cure motion sickness permanently, the answers are right here!
1. Eat Light before the Trip
Having a heavy meal before you travel can cause vomiting, discomfort, or nausea. So, make sure you have something light before you start from your home. Sometimes, an empty stomach might also cause problems, so don’t fast before a journey.
Eating in moderation can surely help you tackle motion sickness. It will also keep up your spirits, whether you are on the road or up in the air. Thus, motion sickness management becomes easier with the right amount of food!
2. Choose a Good Car Scent Diffuser (For Travel by Car)
Picking the right car scent diffuser is another enduring strategy to cure motion sickness. Strong smells can trigger motion sickness and prompt vomiting. However, a few mild diffusers or scents might relax your mind. So, finding the right scent for a car that does not make you uncomfortable is necessary.
3. Avoid High-Concentration Activities
Looking at your phone, reading books, or watching movies during your travel requires constant eye focus, which can increase the chances of falling sick easily. Stopping these activities ensures perpetual relief from motion sickness.
4. Listen to Music!
Listening to music is the best strategy to eliminate motion sickness. It is a better alternative than using your phone or reading a book. Listening to music relaxes your mind and cures travel sickness to some extent.
5. Proper Ventilation
A constant flow of fresh air can keep motion sickness away. And, you will feel less nauseated if there’s proper ventilation. Therefore, make sure to check the ventilation during your travel.
We have now discussed some ways that show how to cure motion sickness permanently.
Interesting Fact: The number of women business travelers is increasing these days. Here are some best ways working women can make the most of business travel.
Home Remedies for Immediate Relief
While there is a lot of medication available for motion sickness, using home remedies is simpler and safer. These home remedies have passed through several generations, dating back to hundreds of years. Let’s take a look at them!
Try Ginger
It is one of the most traditional remedies that help combat motion sickness. It’s an effective home remedy for nausea and vomiting. However, some studies state that ginger might not help tackle travel sickness. There is more research needed in this area. So, try using it, and if you find it helpful, just go ahead and keep it handy every time you travel.
Remember that you must consult your doctor before consuming ginger for motion sickness if you are on prescription blood thinners.
Use Peppermint
Peppermint oil is known to relax the gastric muscles, which can prevent stomach aches. The oil also can deal with vomiting. As per age-old Chinese traditions, rubbing peppermint oil on the roof of your mouth can help combat nauseous sensations caused by motion sickness.
Acupressure Bands
Acupressure helps you get relief from nausea even in emergencies. You can wear an acupressure band, also called a sea band. Doctors recommend acupressure bands to prevent motion sickness or vomiting during pregnancy.
Deep Breathing
Some women might panic when they feel nauseous due to motion sickness. Deep breathing can help calm your nerves and make you feel better. Just inhale and exhale and keep a count of how many times you do that.
Fresh Air
There is nothing like the goodness of fresh air for the mind and body. If you feel sick when you travel, try to move to a place where there is fresh air. If you are in a car, try rolling down the window and letting the fresh air soothe your senses. It might not be the best remedy for motion sickness, but it might work at times!
Stay Hydrated
If you are prone to motion sickness, dehydration can worsen it. So, ensure you stay hydrated during your journey. Have a bottle of water handy wherever you go. You can also keep some fruits or fruit juices with you.
While at it, check out the 5 nutritious recipes to keep your body hydrated!
Focus on a Fixed Point
Try looking at a fixed point or stable object and concentrate on it. In case you are traveling by car, look through your windshield. If you are facing seasickness on a boat/ship, try looking at the horizon.
Relaxation
Try lying down, if there is space, and then relax. Many women have found this technique helpful. Sometimes, just changing your position can work wonders in combating motion sickness. The human body needs rest from time to time, so ensure you have rested well before you start on your journey. A sleepless night can also wreak havoc on your body.
How to Cure Motion Sickness Permanently Is it Possible?
Yes! It is possible to cure motion sickness permanently. You have few options to treat motion sickness, such as medications and other prescriptions from the doctor. Some motion sickness treatments are listed below.
Using Antihistamines
They can prevent travel sickness. However, avoid them if you are driving because some of the antihistamines can make you feel drowsy.
Using Patches
Skin patches like Scopolamine prevent vomiting and nausea during your travel. You can apply the patch behind your ear for at least two to four hours before traveling. This medication is only approved for adults. Individuals with severe health issues must visit a doctor before using it.
Biofeedback Therapy
This therapy controls your physical responses to stimuli like motions. In biofeedback therapy, a therapist connects sensors to various parts of your body to measure respiration and heart rates. Later, you can work with the therapist to manage your responses.
How to Stop Motion Sickness Yourself?
Do you know that you can talk your way out of motion sickness? It has been found that “verbal placebos” are quite effective in treating the problem. When a group of sailors were told they would never get seasick, it worked for many of them!
Telling yourself, “I am NOT going to experience motion sickness,” before you travel can actually turn out to be a magic mantra that relieves you from the problem.
Refrain from drinking and smoking before and during your travel. You might be interested in the new smoking warning for women. So, read it up! And, make sure you eat something before traveling, but don’t overeat!
We’ve now discussed some of the techniques to stop motion sickness yourself!
Do’s and Don’ts
Let’s now take a glance at the do’s and don’ts you must follow to deal with motion sickness.
Do’s
- When you experience motion sickness, try to remain calm. It can be challenging but try counting backward from 100. The main idea is to engage your brain by focusing on something other than your current situation.
- Tell yourself that you won’t feel sick before you travel. If you still have negative thoughts, replace them with positive ones.
- Keep a barf bag ready. In case you feel like throwing up, you can be prepared for the worst and use the bag. This will make you feel better.
Don’ts
- Avoid reading books or scrolling through your laptop/tablet, etc.
- Don’t consume alcohol before and during your travel.
- If you experience chronic motion sickness, don’t rely on over-the-counter medication. Talk to your doctor before taking a course of action.
When Should I See a Doctor?
Hope you now have a list of ideas that express how to cure motion sickness permanently!
In most cases, motion sickness just goes away after the journey. However, if you still feel sick, dizzy, or nauseated after completing your travel, consulting your doctor is mandatory. Some have a headache, chest pain, or hearing loss even after the travel. If you face any of these symptoms, talk to your doctor. You can also request your doctor for advice on preventing travel sickness for good.
FAQ:
1. Is there a permanent cure for motion sickness?
There is a permanent cure for motion sickness. You can consult your doctor and know what treatment you can follow to find a permanent cure. In many cases, motion sickness exists for a few years and then disappears.
2. Can motion sickness go away on its own over time?
Many people have found that motion sickness goes away on its own over time. The symptoms might vanish when the person gets used to the situation.
3. Are there any medications that can permanently alleviate motion sickness?
Medications like Scopolamine (as mentioned earlier) and Dramamine can be used to alleviate motion sickness. But before using any of these, consult your doctor/healthcare provider.
4. Is motion sickness always a lifelong condition?
Motion sickness need not be a lifelong condition. With time and treatment, it can just disappear and you can travel anywhere without discomfort.
