Posted by Sudbury Northern Life Liz Fleming
Is a car trip your personal idea of hell? On a cruise, do
you spend more time curled in the fetal position in your cabin
than enjoying the sights? Would you rather spend a week at the
dentist's office than an hour in a small airplane?
Lucky you - you suffer from motion sickness!
It's a malady that hits us all from time to time, no matter how
much travelling we've done. It's a nasty trick played on our
stomach by our brain that can spell the end to vacation fun
unless you come up with some smart strategies to combat it.
What is it?
Motion sickness is a simple case of confusion. Your brain isn't
properly processing what your body is experiencing and so sends
messages to your stomach that cause nausea. Ordinarily, your
brain gets clear, dependable messages from your eyes and your
inner ear that jibe pretty well with your expectations and
previous experiences. In certain travel circumstances, however,
such as when you're travelling in the back seat of a car, below
decks on a ship, or in an airplane where your vision is
restricted and you have no view of the horizon, trouble starts.
Your eye perceives your surroundings to be still, but your
inner ear's balance mechanism registers movement. In short,
your sensory wires are crossed and the ultimate victim is your
stomach. In no time, you grow pale, break out in a sweat and
your lunch begins to threaten a hasty return.
So what's an intrepid traveller to do?
Quelling the quaking within
The best solution for dealing with motion sickness is to
practise preventative strategies. Sit in the front passenger
seat in the car, ask for a window seat on an airplane and
choose larger planes over their smaller cousins - you'll
experience less turbulence. Spend more time enjoying the fresh
air on the promenade deck and less in your cabin. If you go
deep-sea fishing, try your best to avoid using the completely
enclosed bathroom below decks (cross your legs - it's
preferable!) Whenever possible, open a window or step out on a
balcony to get fresh air - and always keep your eyes on the
horizon.
While certain over the counter medications such as Gravol are
helpful for dealing with and even preventing motion sickness,
they can leave you feeling drowsy - not a great thing when
every vacation moment is precious. The good news is that Gravol
has introduced a new product - a chewable ginger-based lozenge
which, if chewed in advance of a sick-making trip, has proved
very effective for me. Another great over-the-counter option is
a product called Bonamine, an anti-nausea medication that has
no sedating effects and lasts up to 24 hours. I've also found
it very effective.
If you don't succeed in preventing the onset of motion sickness
and begin to feel that familiar queasiness arising, fix your
eyes firmly on the horizon, sip a cold can of ginger ale and
hold another cold can against the back of your neck.
Nibble dry crackers or chew strongly flavored gum - cinnamon is
a good choice. If all else fails and you're able to get to a
source of cold water, take a shower or jump in a cool pool.
Strange as it may sound, you might even consider soaking a
towel in cold water, wringing it out and wrapping yourself in
it. That was the cure offered to me after a particularly
gagging flight in a small plane in Africa and I was so
desperate, I went for it. The soaking wet towel completely
engulfed me from head to toe, my clothing was drenched - and it
worked like a charm!
