From ginger to fresh air: Natural ways to prevent motion sickness
Traveling can be full of memories that will last forever. But for some travelers, motion sickness awaits the journey whether you fly or drive. Fortunately, there are a few ways you can prevent motion sickness from disrupting your booked itinerary.
“Motion sickness, often referred to as seasickness or carsickness, occurs due to a disruption in the inner ear, which affects spatial orientation and disturbs balance and equilibrium,” says Dr. Jessica Hyla, a family medicine physician at Advocate Health Care. “When your eyes, inner ears, muscles and joints send conflicting signals, your brain can’t determine whether you’re at rest or in motion. This confusion leads to motion sickness symptoms.”
Symptoms can include nausea, vomiting, headache, increased saliva production, irritability, dizziness, cold sweats, rapid breathing and pale skin. Motion sickness usually resolves when the repetitive motion stops.
Some people are more susceptible to motion sickness, including children ages 2 to 12, women on their menstrual cycle, pregnant people and those who experience migraines.
Motion sickness can also be due to an underlying balance disorder, fluid in the ear, an infection or Meniere’s disease.
Ways to prevent motion sickness
- Drink plenty of water
- Face forward with air vents turned towards your face
- Face the direction you’re traveling
- Focus on the horizon
- Get fresh air
- Put down the phone, tablet or book while in the car
- Sit in the front seat of the vehicle
- Suck on ginger or peppermint candies
- Take a nap
- Take an over-the-counter antihistamine or use a scopolamine skin patch prior to travel
- Try aromatherapy
If you experience persistent motion sickness, your primary care provider can prescribe additional medications, including promethazine, meclizine and ondansetron.
Prevention and treatment approaches for children depend on their age and how well they tolerate different strategies.
“For children, it’s better to try non-medicinal techniques first for prevention or relief,” Dr. Hyla explains. “Effective ways to help kids with motion sickness include encouraging deep breathing, singing songs, taking sips of a cold beverage, having them close their eyes or placing a cool cloth on their forehead.”
When giving medication to children, be extra cautious about giving the appropriate dosing.
If you are concerned about frequent motion sickness, speak to your health care provider.
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health enews staff is a group of experienced writers from our Advocate Health Care and Aurora Health Care sites, which also includes freelance or intern writers.
Sea Bands (acupressure wrist bands) work great too! I’ve used them for years prior to long car rides, train rides, boating and flying. I’ve never gotten sick while wearing my sea bands.
Totally agree with Tiffanis comment. -Sea Bands were recommended to me 29 years ago by the Midwives when pregnant and wanted to go on a boat trip. They really work for motion sickness and even baby induced nausea!
Great Job Katie!
Ginger chews work really great and are tasty too.
Also take breaks. If on a long car ride, stop and get out and walk around.
When I was a small child I would only get “carsick” on road trips, not when doing short trips around town. I figured out many years later as an adult that the nausea for me was likely due to the smell of coffee that my parents would drink on road trips which they never did on short trips. To this day the smell of coffee (whether or not I am in a moving vehicle) makes me queasy but I do not get motion sickness.