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Viewing Motion Sickness Making Travel Miserable? Try These Tips!Motion Sickness Making Travel Miserable? Try These Tips!
By Kathy Steinemann
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Motion sickness can make any trip miserable for you. It goes by other names as well, including car sickness and seasickness. This condition has symptoms varying from slight dizziness to fatigue to headache to overwhelming nausea. No matter what your mode of travel, motion sickness can make any trip miserable for you. It goes by other names as well, including car sickness and seasickness. No matter what you call it, this condition has symptoms varying from slight dizziness to fatigue to headache to overwhelming nausea. Children are more susceptible than adults. Unfortunately, vomiting does not make the nausea subside. The easiest way to cope is to avoid travel (and amusement park rides and space shuttles). However, this is unrealistic. Who wants to stay at home in front of a television set when there is such an interesting world out there to explore! Do you know what causes motion sickness? When your eyes tell you something different than what the fluid movement in your inner ear signals, the disparity causes a mental confusion that triggers motion sickness. Knowing this can assist you in the coping process. If you are standing on the deck of a ship and looking at the horizon, your eyes tell you that you are moving - as do your inner ears - and symptoms of seasickness become less pronounced. Conversely, if you are below decks, your eyes tell you that you are stationary while your inner ears scream out in disagreement. This conflict results in dizziness and nausea. Try to keep your eyes on the horizon or a distant stationary object in the direction of travel. While in a car or bus, avoid reading. Look ahead of the vehicle when possible - and try to sit in the front seat. A head rest or travel pillow that keeps the head stationary is often helpful. If it is not practical to look ahead or watch an immobile object, close your eyes and/or have a nap. Without your eyes sending conflicting signals to the brain, your body will realize that you are in motion and the symptoms will often settle. A nap will also help to relax the nerves and reduce symptoms that are magnified by apprehension. Listening to soothing music helps to calm anxiety, as does a lively conversation or word game with fellow travellers. Since stuffy air or bad odors can aggravate the problem, make sure that you have a good supply of fresh air. Avoid eating greasy or salty foods immediately before you travel. A light meal rich in carbohydrates is a much better choice. Many people swear by wristbands that have a small bead which is placed over an accupressure point. You can even buy battery-powered models with electrical stimulation. Ginger has long been used as an anti-nausea treatment. You can purchase sweetened ginger sticks or ginger capsules if you would like to try this approach. Some people have even had excellent results with hypnosis. Traditional anti-nausea medications do not work for seasick individuals, because they do not target the reason for this specific type of nausea. However, a behind-the-ear scopolamine patch can be a huge relief. Scopolamine is specifically manufactured for motion sickness. It must be applied at least four hours before you travel. These patches cling extremely well. Scuba divers often use them on diving cruises - and three days later, they are still attached. Unfortunately, as with any medication, scopolamine may have some side effects. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist for complete information. When applying, be extremely careful to wash your hands before and after application. You may experience watery, irritated eyes and blurred vision if you touch your eyes before you wash. It is a good idea to try a scopolamine patch a week or so before you travel to see how well you tolerate it. Sadly, you may become accustomed to the movement and overcome nausea - only to get hit with another round of motion sickness when you are stationary once more and the body readjusts. Whatever you do, put 'anxiety control' on the top of your list. Try to relax - and enjoy your next trip! (c) Copyright Kathy Steinemann: This article is free to publish only if this copyright notice, the byline, and the author's note below (with active links) are included. About the Author: Searching for a bed and breakfast, hotel, or hostel? Visit 111 Travel Directory. Trying to find some great travel tips? Surf over to 1000 Tips 4 Trips. Seeking romantic getaway resources? Adult Escapes can help! Article source: 111 Travel Directory: Triple1.com (triple one dot com) More free articles: 1st Rate Articles - 1stRateArticles.com |
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