Tips on How to Deal With Motion Sickness
Problems associated with motion sickness can range from irritating to debilitating. While there are medications that you can take to reduce the effects, they can also dull the senses and make you feel a little bit “off”. Let’s take a look at some other ways that you can use to control the effects, so that you won’t be caught at a disadvantage during a survival situation.
What Causes the Problem?
Motion sickness is caused by mixed-signals that are received by the brain from the eyes and ears. This commonly occurs as you are unable to see the movements that your body is making. It also occurs when you are unable to feel your body moving despite seeing the motion. Additionally, fluid and nerves inside of the inner-ear help to regulate balance, much in the same way a carpenter’s level does. There are a number of reasons that can contribute to this natural balancing system being out of whack, but it also contributes to motion sickness. Severe reactions tend to emerge when both the eyes and ears are affected.
Signs, Symptoms and Diagnosis
Symptoms are pretty obvious and easy to detect. People can feel dizzy, queasy, nauseous and commonly experience fatigue as well as a headache. It is also common for people to sweat and get pale during an episode. Vomiting is also very common, and the biggest danger associated with motion sickness is dehydration. The good news is that these symptoms usually go away once the motion ceases. A diagnosis is generally given by examining the patient’s history and description of feelings.
Treatment Options
Aside from taking over-the-counter or prescription medication, there are a couple of home remedies that have been beneficial in some people. Keep in mind that all treatments involve controlling the symptoms rather than eliminating the problem. Consequently, it’s important to take or use them before you start the activity that can make you sick. Ginger supplements are probably the most widely-accepted natural remedy due to its ability to curb nausea. Another option that works for some is to wear special bracelets that put pressure on certain nerves near the wrists that can also reduce the manifestation of symptoms.
There are also some practical things that you can do in order to cope with motion sickness. When you are in a vehicle or boat, try to sit in the front seat or in a location where you can see the horizon in front of you. Keep your eyes fixed on the horizon as much as possible. This will minimize the impact of poor eye-brain communication and hopefully keep symptoms at bay. Another option is to sit in a place that will experience the least amount of swaying. For example, if you are on an airplane, the front of the aircraft is more stable than the back.
You can also reduce food intake before heading out so that the chances of vomiting will be minimized. You may be able to train your brain to become desensitized to motion by using coping mechanisms such as those listed above. You can also try to focus your attention on things other than your feelings during an episode. Mind over matter really does work for a lot of people.
No matter what you try to do, the more practice you get and experience you have with respect to dealing with an episode will go a long way to minimize symptoms. However, you will need to undergo a “trial by fire” in order to train the brain to overcome the way your body responds. Try these and other tips out in order to minimize your reliance on medication. While they can be beneficial, mediation should always be seen as an option of last resort, and they don’t provide a real solution to the cause of the problem.
