What causes motion sickness and what is the best treatment? From pills and patches to bands
Most people love a holiday but for anyone with motion sickness getting there can be a problem
EVERYONE enjoys going on holiday whether its jet setting to exotic locations or just a good old British staycation.
No matter where you go or how long you go for, all trips have one thing in common – you have to travel there.
What causes motion sickness?
From planes and trains to cars and boats, you can cover all modes of transportation while away.
But if you suffer from motion sickness, even the most luxurious break can seem like hell.
The condition is caused by repetitive motions while travelling, such as going over waves or bumps.
Your ear, which is responsible for balance, is key to why you feel sick.
Don’t look out the window at moving objects such as the scenery.
If you can, avoid eating a big meal or drinking alcohol just before you have to travel.
You can also try and tackle motion sickness with a range of treatments.
NHS' tips for dealing with motion sickness
- Minimise motion – sit in the front of a car or in the middle of a boat
- Look straight ahead at a fixed point, such as the horizon
- Breathe fresh air if possible – for example, by opening a car window
- Close your eyes and breathe slowly while focusing on your breathing
- Distract children by talking, listening to music or singing songs
- Break up long journeys to get some fresh air, drink water or take a walk
- Try ginger, which you can take as a tablet, biscuit or tea
The most popular is travel sickness tablets, which are available at most pharmacists.
For children, they come in dissolvable form but for adults they come in standard tablet form.
You can use stick on patches, which can be used by anyone aged 10 and above.
The range available in shops varies, but most contain hyoscine hydrobromide, which helps prevent the mixed signals in your brain.
Acupressure bands are similar to sweat band for your wrist, and they have a plastic ball on them.
This is supposed to stimulate a key pressure point and stop you feeling sick, although they don’t work for everyone.