Motion sickness: what is it, how can you prevent it, and what can you do about it?

What is motion sickness?

• Motion sickness, or travel sickness, is a collective term for car sickness, seasickness, and airsickness. All three are common discomforts during travel.
• Symptoms include feeling dizzy, yawning, sweating, looking pale, headaches, nausea, and perhaps the most common: (frequent) vomiting.

What is car sickness?

• Motion sickness is the form of motion sickness that is more common in children between the ages of 2 and 10.
• This is especially true during car and bus rides with many winding roads, or in drivers with a somewhat erratic driving style.
• Anyone who is a bit older can also suffer from it, especially if they are traveling abroad in a rickety, overheated bus on winding roads through mountains or hills.

What is seasickness?

• Seasickness is a form of motion sickness that few people escape when they're on a boat and the sea gets rough.
• For some people, however, even a slight swell is enough to send them overboard.

What causes motion sickness while traveling?

• Your balance organs are located near your ears. These organs try to register the direction your body is moving as accurately as possible.
• If you're in a moving vehicle, this organ registers the movement.
• Because you and everything around you in the vehicle moves in the same way, it appears to your eyes as if your surroundings are standing still. This is contradictory for your brain that senses motion.
• The signals are out of balance and activate the vomiting center in your brain.
• The result is feeling dizzy, looking pale, sometimes headaches, almost always nausea, and often vomiting.

How to avoid getting motion sickness or seasick abroad?

• Make sure you're sitting in the direction you're traveling.
• Get fresh air regularly.
• Look at the horizon. This way, your eyes better register the movement that your balance organ also perceives.
• Keep yourself distracted on a long journey; engage in an engaging conversation or stroll down the aisle regularly.
• Avoid reading, writing, gaming, or using the internet during the trip, as this can make you feel more dizzy and nauseous.
• Eat regularly but not too heavy.
• Don't travel on an empty stomach; it helps. Make sure you have a small meal beforehand or a hearty snack.
• If you're traveling for a long time, eat at least three light meals a day.
• Avoid coffee, alcohol, or carbonated drinks before or during your trip. These can aggravate your motion sickness.
• Try to sit near the wings on an airplane, in the middle on a boat or in the front of a car.
• Use an antihistamine such as cyclizine, cinnarizine, or meclozine. Take these before departure.

Which medications work best against motion sickness?

• Anti-motion sickness pills are essential in every medical kit, even if you rarely get nauseous. A bus ride through the Nepalese mountains, a boat trip through a tropical storm, or a domestic flight during severe weather can often take the stoutest of men.
• Anti-motion sickness medications work best when used preventatively.

How do antihistamines work for motion sickness?

• Sedating antihistamines, such as anti-motion sickness pills, are often used to treat motion sickness. These are medications that help with allergies. There is limited evidence that this type of sedative antihistamine is effective against motion sickness. However, many people seem to benefit from them. Examples of this type of antihistamine are: cinnarizine, cyclizine, and meclozine.
  • cinnarizine: starts working after about half an hour. The effect lasts 4 to 8 hours.
  • cyclizine: starts working within half an hour. The effect usually lasts 4 hours.
  • meclozine: starts working within 2 hours. The effect lasts 8 hours.
• In addition to their anti-allergic effect, these antihistamines also have a mild sedative effect. They can even make you drowsy. So be careful when using them in traffic if you're driving.

How does Scopolamine work for motion sickness?

• Another, more potent remedy is scopolamine, which is often found in patches. You stick these patches behind your ear. They work for three days straight, making them particularly suitable for long sea voyages. Side effects of scopolamine include dry mouth, drowsiness, and blurred vision.
• Scopolamine is not suitable for use by anyone under 18 and is only available by prescription in many countries.

How do ginger extract-based and homeopathic remedies work for motion sickness?

• Ginger extract-based remedies are often cited as effective, non-drowsy remedies.
• There are also many alternative and homeopathic remedies on the market. Their effectiveness has not been proven.
• This doesn't mean they can't still work for some people. Examples include wristbands with snaps and scented rollers.
• Studies on motion sickness show that the placebo effect for motion sickness is quite pronounced, a "magic drop." or 'miracle pill' you can make 'really' work for some of the users with any good story.