Why Does Motion Sickness Occur? Can It Be Avoided?
Why does motion sickness occur?
To understand why motion sickness occurs, we must first briefly explain how the human body’s balance system works.
The brain, in order to maintain stability, must first know the position in which the body is. It uses balance receptors, which are located inside the ears. In addition, the brain needs the information provided by the senses and the musculoskeletal system.
The information provided by the eyes and the muscle and tendon receptors must match when they reach the brain. This usually happens when you voluntarily move to go or do any exercise.
However, when you look at a fixed point, such as your cell phone, in a moving car, or a car that is moving unstable, the information that reaches the brain from these two sources does not match. In other words, your brain receives different information from each source. The eyes tell the brain that you are at a fixed point, while the body records the movements of the car.
Symptoms of motion sickness
How to get rid of motion sickness
As I explained, when you look at a fixed point, such as a cell phone, your eyes think you are at a fixed point, although in reality you are moving. This movement is passive because it does not depend on you, but instead varies depending on the car.
Motion sickness is even more common if the road is rough or uneven. In fact, it gets worse if there are a lot of curves or if the car goes very fast. Therefore, the best preventive measure is to adapt your driving style and choose the right path.
The driver should try to drive smoothly, without suddenly braking and, of course, controlling speed. It should also avoid sudden acceleration. The driver must pay close attention to this, especially if he is on a mountain road.
If you suffer from motion sickness, you should rather sit in the back seat. From that place, you will be able to look at the landscape and you will be permanently aware of the movement. When you feel motion sickness, it is best to open the window, close your eyes and try to relax.
Furthermore, experts recommend that the car be well ventilated and have a temperature between 20 and 23 ° C. Although you should try to avoid overeating before starting the trip, it is important to eat something light and drink plenty of water. In addition, it is essential to make frequent stops to breathe fresh air and relax.
If, despite all these measures, motion sickness does not allow you to travel comfortably, go to the doctor. Certain medications help reduce the symptoms of motion sickness. For example, antihistamines such as Biodramine or Cinfamar are very helpful.
Also, some people use when traveling natural remedies such as ginger root or gum. There are even elastic bracelets designed to reduce motion sickness.
conclusions
If you are a person who frequently suffers from motion sickness, try to follow the tips I have distributed in this article. Also, don’t forget to always have plastic bags on hand for any accident. In addition, you can try to travel at night so that you can sleep during the trip.
