BANGALORE: Motion sickness or kinetosis, also known as Travel Sickness, is the experience of unpleasant symptoms, predominantly nausea, during real or perceived motion. Depending on the cause it can also be referred to as seasickness, car sickness, airsickness, or space sickness.
Known causes
The cause of motion sickness is complex and not fully understood, but most experts believe that it arises due to conflicts in sensory input to the brain. The brain senses motion through different signaling pathways from the inner ear, the eyes, and the deeper tissues of the body. When the body moves involuntarily, such as when riding in a vehicle, there may be conflict among these different types of sensory input to the brain. The sensory apparatus in the inner ear seems to be most critical in the development of motion sickness. Motion sickness can occur during any type of movement that is unintentional.
Complex types of movement, especially slow movement or movement in two different directions (such as up and down plus back and forth) at the same time (commonly the movements of a boat in rough water) are most likely to cause motion sickness.
Identify it
Motion sickness starts with a mild feeling of nausea while you’re travelling. If you don’t deal with it, it will progress to a bad case of the sweats; eventually, you’ll be vomiting — perhaps nonstop. That will lead to dehydration and utter misery.
Prevention
For starters, you can try several over-thecounter preventative drugs and devices.
Travelers have reported great success with scopolamine patches, worn behind the ear. If drugs don’t appeal to you make sure you eat at before you travel.
Starting out with something in your tummy will help. If you do vomit, you’ll at least be able to expel something besides stomach bile, which hurts (bad) as it comes through your throat by itself.
Motion sickness involves the mind too.
So to keep your mind off the thought of vomiting, try to divert your attention by engaging yourself in some activities while traveling.
Treatment
One common suggestion is to simply look out of the window of the moving vehicle and to gaze toward the horizon in the direction of travel. This helps to re-orient the inner sense of balance. In the night, or in a ship without windows, it is helpful to simply close one’s eyes, or if possible, take a nap. This resolves the input conflict between the eyes and the inner ear.
Carry or have access to lots of liquids.
Soda is a great stomach settler. Guzzle water and electrolyte-laden beverages like Gatorade, even if your belly keeps tossing the liquid. Prescription medications such as Dramamine (dimenhydrinate), Stugeron (cinnarizine), Bonine/ Antivert (meclizine) and Scopolamineare are effective.