Do you feel lightheaded every time you’re traveling by car, boat, plane or train? Now, that’s the true definition of motion sickness. So this is what’s happening to you; Your body’s sensory organs send mixed messages to your brain, causing dizziness, lightheadedness, or nausea.

Motion sickness usually causes an upset stomach. Other symptoms include a cold sweat and dizziness. A person with motion sickness may become pale or complain of a headache. It’s also common to experience the following symptoms as a result of motion sickness:

• nausea
• vomiting
• loss of or trouble maintaining your balance

Possible causes and threats of Motion Sickness?

Any mode of travel will prove to be difficult, not only travel but also amusement parks may not be so amusing. This condition is more prevalent in children between the ages of 2-12 and also pregnant women.

The body maintains balance with the help of signals sent by many parts of the body e.g. eyes and inner ears. Other sensory receptors in your legs and feet let your nervous system know what parts of your body are touching the ground. Sometimes the receptors can give conflicting signals which cause motion sickness. For example, when you’re on an airplane you can’t see turbulence, but your body can feel it. The resulting confusion can cause nausea or even vomiting.

Diagnosis and Treatment

Many times Motion sickness resolves itself quickly and doesn’t usually require a professional diagnosis. Most people know the feeling when it’s coming on because the illness only occurs during travel or other specific activities.

Several medications exist for the treatment of motion sickness. Most of them will either prevent the onset of symptoms or induce sleepiness, therefore operating machinery or vehicles  isn’t a good idea.

Frequently prescribed motion sickness medications include hyoscine hydrobromide, commonly known as scopolamine. An over-the-counter motion sickness medication is dimenhydrinate, often marketed as Dramamine or Gravol.

Prevention

• Plan ahead – If traveling by air, ask for a window or wing seat. On trains, boats, or buses sit toward the front and try to avoid facing backward. On a ship, ask for a cabin at water level and close to the front or the middle of the vessel. Open a vent for a source of fresh air if possible, and avoid reading.
• Sitting at the front of a car or bus, or doing the driving yourself, often helps.
• Get plenty of rest the night before traveling and avoid drinking alcohol. Dehydration, headache, and anxiety all lead to poorer outcomes if you’re prone to motion sickness.
• Eat well so that your stomach is settled. Stay away from greasy or acidic foods before and during your travels.
• Have a home remedy on hand g.peppermint can help, as well as ginger and black horehound. Although their effectiveness hasn’t been proven by science, these options are available.
• Breathing exercises have also been found to help. These treatments also work for people who feel unwell when they even just think about traveling.