London: There are a lot of things that can ruin a long-awaited holiday, but few are as crippling as travel sickness. Research has found that one in three people is beset by nausea, dizziness or vomiting when they travel by car, plane or boat. While there is no sure cure to prevent it, there are a number of ways travellers can ease their symptoms so it doesn’t spoil their time away from home.
For some, it helps to hydrate or eat a light meal without fatty or greasy foods before travelling. While travelling by car, passengers should keep their eyes on the horizon and pay attention to distant objects and likely upcoming turns.
Beat Travel Sickness for Enjoyable Travel Experience ( Urdu )
If motion sickness symptoms crop up while travelling by plane, the infographic suggests passengers stand up and walk around to get their blood flowing. Seasickness is one of the biggest fears for cruise ship passengers, especially those who are at sea for the first time.
Those who are feeling ill on board should keep their focus on the horizon until they get their sea legs, have a nap or sip on a fizzy drink to settle their stomach. After the journey, travellers may find that soothing music or some quiet time alone will help.
Motion Sickness Causes:
Motion is sensed by the brain through different pathways of the nervous system including the inner ear, the eyes, and the tissues of the body surface. When the body is moved intentionally, for example when walking, the input from all of the pathways is coordinated by our brain.
The symptoms of motion sickness appear when the central nervous system receives conflicting messages from the sensory systems: the inner ear, eyes, skin pressure receptors, and the muscle and joint sensory receptors.
As an example, if someone is sitting on a boat or in a car (not looking out of a window), their inner ears sense movement up and down, left and right, but their eyes see a static view as if they are not moving at all. It is hypothesized that the conflict among the inputs is responsible for motion sickness.
Travel Sickness Remedies:
The distressing symptoms of motion sickness usually stop when the motion causing it ceases. But this is not always true. There are people who suffer symptoms for even a few days after the trip is over.
Looking at the horizon:
One common suggestion is to simply look out of the window of the moving vehicle and gaze toward the horizon in the direction of travel. This helps to re-orient the inner sense of balance by providing a visual reaffirmation of motion.
Keeping eyes closed and napping:
At 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.
Chewing:
A simple method for relieving common and mild car sickness is chewing. Chewing gum has uncanny effectiveness in reducing car sickness in those affected. A variety of chewing gum is available for purchase online.
Fresh air:
Fresh, cool air can also relieve motion sickness slightly, although it is likely this is related to avoiding foul odours, which can worsen nausea.
Ginger:
Ginger has been found to reduce motion sickness. This is available in tablet form, or a fresh stem of ginger can be chewed to relieve symptoms. There is some debate over whether it is the chewing or the ginger that helps. Ginger products for motion sickness are available for purchase online.
