What is Motion Sickness?

Motion sickness is a condition where a person experiences nausea and disorientation when they are in motion via a vehicle or other means but their body is still. When this happens there are conflicting signals sent between the ears, eyes, and the brain. The eyes and ears will relay that the body is in motion, but nerves in muscles and joints elsewhere in the body will be informing the brain that there is no movement occurring.   

As the visual and aural stimuli continue over longer periods of time the motion sickness will usually become worse. The condition is manageable, but the only way to completely relieve motion sickness is to stop moving that way.

What Causes Motion Sickness?

Motion sickness is caused by signals sent to the brain from different sensory systems in the body being misinterpreted, and the sickness occurs because the brain is reacting badly due to being unable to understand if the body is moving or not. Motion sickness occurs most often for sufferers when they are travelling in a moving vehicle, or are on a train, ship, or other type of powered transportation. 

Motion sickness can also have triggers, and these can include playing video games or virtual reality games, being on amusement park rides, or being a passenger on a bike ridden by someone else. Motion sickness can be more severe for women who are menstruating or pregnant, and the same goes for people with Parkinson’s disease or BPPV (benign paroxysmal positional vertigo).

Motion Sickness Symptoms 

Nauseas, disorientation, headaches, dizziness, and sweating are the most primary motion sickness symptoms. Other symptoms may include fatigue, irritability, excessive salivation, gulping for air while breathing, or restlessness. Potential complications developing from prolonged motion sickness are low blood pressure and dehydration. 

Motion Sickness Treatment 

Your best approach to motion sickness treatment will depend on the severity of the condition at the time and whether or not the stimuli (means of transport) is to continue over the long term. For milder cases it may be enough to get fresh air, redirect gaze so that eyes are not exposed to the same visual stimuli, lie down or be in a more prone position, drink ginger ale or ginger tea or have something sweet to eat. 

For milder cases an OTC motion sickness medication like Gravol may be sufficient for relief. For more severe and recurring cases a doctor may advise taking an Rx medication like Antivert that is stronger for treating motion sickness.