When Your Senses Betray You: How to Cope with Motion Sickness

Motion sickness, also known as seasickness or travel sickness, is probably something you've experienced if you've ever felt queasy or lightheaded after a boat, amusement park, or vehicle ride.

It is an uncomfortable condition that is also poorly understood. Many people who encounter it are unaware of why their bodies respond the way it does or that a functional vision issue may truly be the underlying cause.

Conflicting information about movement and location is sent to the brain when there is an imbalance between the senses. It's challenging to estimate the number of people with travel sickness, but the majority have it at some point. There are strategies to manage travel sickness and lessen its effects, even though it can be a terrible condition.

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Causes of motion sickness

Dizziness is the most common symptom. (Image via Unsplash/ Cassidy Dickens)

Motion sickness develops when the brain receives conflicting information about position and movement from the senses. While the eyes and other senses convey information about the environment, the inner ear detects movement and position. The brain may become confused when the senses are out of sync, resulting in travel sickness.

Here’s a list of common causes:

1) Travel

Motion sickness is most frequently brought on by travel. This can apply to automobiles, buses, trains, boats, and aircraft.

2) Sensory conflict

Travel sickness can result from a mismatch between what the inner ear detects and what the eyes see. In a car, for instance, your eyes may tell your brain that you are stationary while your inner ear is picking up motion, which might make you feel queasy.

Poor ventilation in the vehicle is among the most common causes. (Image via Unsplash/ JD Weiher)

3) Poor ventilation

Motion nausea can also be brought on by poor ventilation in a car, boat, or airplane. This is because stale air results in higher carbon dioxide levels, which may worsen motion sickness symptoms.

4) Anxiety

Stress and anxiety can also cause motion or travel sickness. The risk of nausea and vomiting increases when stress hormones are released because they can impact the digestive tract.

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Symptoms of motion sickness

Mild to severe motion or travel sickness symptoms can include the following:

• Nausea and diarrhea
• Dizziness
• Sweating
• Fatigue
• Headache
• Reduced appetite
• Hastened breathing
• Increased salivation

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Does it change with age?

Infants and small children typically don't get motion or travel sicknesses because they are still learning the normal interactions between the senses. But older kids are much more likely to get it.

The likelihood of experiencing motion or travel sickness usually decreases as people get older and reach adulthood, probably because they are able to contextualize their experiences.

It can also result in exhaustion. (Image via Pexels/ Andrea Piacquadio)

Motion or travel sickness may either increase or diminish in older persons due to factors like the loss of receptor cells in the ear and eye, lens fogging, or loss of peripheral nerve function. However, in a healthy older adult, the incidence of motion sickness often continues to reduce.

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What helps with motion sickness?

A number of treatments and methods can reduce the symptoms of motion or travel sickness.

1) Medication

Some over-the-counter and prescription drugs, like antihistamines, can be used to treat motion sickness symptoms.

2) Acupressure

Pressing on specific body spots, such as the wrist, can assist in reducing the symptoms. There are even specific bracelets that provide pressure on certain spots.

3) Deep breathing

Deep breathing exercises and other relaxation methods can assist in reducing anxiety and the signs of this condition.

Deep breathing can help in calming. (Image via Unsplash/ Benjamin Child)

4) Distraction

Reading or listening to music can keep the mind engaged while traveling, which can assist in easing the symptoms of motion or travel sickness.

5) Proper ventilation

Ensuring that the vehicle, vessel, or aircraft has adequate ventilation will help to lessen the symptoms of motion or travel sickness.

6) Sitting in the front seat

Motion nausea symptoms can be lessened by sitting in the front seat of a car, the middle of a boat, or the back of an airplane.

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Traveling and other activities can be challenging when one suffers from motion sickness, which can be a crippling illness. It is possible to reduce the effects of this condition by recognizing the causes and symptoms and applying the above-mentioned treatments and procedures. Plan and take precautions to avoid and control the symptoms if you are prone to motion sickness.