What is Motion Sickness?
Motion Sickness, as the name itself indicates is a sort of sickness caused by traveling. It can be of different types, that is car sickness, sea sickness, air sickness etc depending on the mode of travel. Motion Sickness usually causes nausea, vomiting, dizziness and other similar symptoms.
In fact, Motion Sickness can be divided into three different categories, that is, Travel Sickness due to motion felt but not seen, motion seen but not felt or incongruence between both feeling and seeing, in spite of detecting the state of motion.
At times, individuals tend to develop symptoms of Motion Sickness simply by watching a visual depicting a moving scene. This is referred to as simulation sickness.
As this is a common problem during traveling, there are various over the counter medicines available to cure Motion Sickness. However, people generally like to first use the safe and simple home remedies for Motion Sickness natural treatment and leave the conventional medicines with side effects only for severe cases.
Causes of Motion Sickness
Basically, Motion Sickness is body’s unfavorable response to disturbance in the sense of balance and equilibrium caused by constant motion during traveling. Constant motion tends to cause disruption in the sense of spatial orientation through the inner ear that senses motion, acceleration and gravity.
The brain detects motion through signals sent by the inner ear, eyes and proprioceptors. Experts believe that lack of coordination by brain (because the movement is not initiated by the brain) and consequent conflict among these inputs gives rise to Motion Sickness.
Clearly understanding this complicated scenario is a complex task. Moreover, factors like foul odors, poor ventilation, fear, stress and anxiety tend to aggravate the discomfort caused by Motion Sickness.
Symptoms of Motion Sickness
Common symptoms of Motion Sickness are nausea, vomiting, fatigue, dizziness, headache, cold sweats, restlessness, tiredness, drowsiness, excessive salivation and other related symptoms of uneasiness.
Vomiting usually relieves the discomfort associated with nausea but this does not happen in case of Motion Sickness in which vomiting does not provide relief from the feeling of nausea. In certain cases, the symptoms may continue for a few days after traveling.
Natural Home Remedies for Motion Sickness
• While traveling, choosing a seat at a location where motion can be experienced as less as possible is a good way of avoiding Motion Sickness to a great extent. For instance, choosing an aisle seat located over the front edge of the wing is an effective tip for preventing Motion Sickness during air travel.
The best way to avoid Motion Sickness in car is to choose the front passenger seat. Opting for lower level cabins near the center of a ship is beneficial in reducing Motion Sickness during sea travel. Similarly, during train travel, selecting a window seat facing forwards would be a good idea.
• Looking out at a distant point instead of reading a book is one of the most popular home remedies for Motion Sickness treatment.
• Wrist bands also help to relieve Motion Sickness conveniently by making use of acupressure therapy.
• Eating bland foods like bread, rice, crackers etc is a tried and tested home remedy for stopping Motion Sickness.
• Having ginger tea, chewing a piece of peeled ginger, sucking on ginger candy or simply sucking lemon is a valuable natural cure for Motion Sickness home treatment. It helps in healing and managing symptoms like nausea and vomiting. Ginger capsules can also be used for this purpose.
• Drinking apple juice, green tea, chamomile tea or mint tea an hour before the journey is one of the most beneficial Motion Sickness home remedies.
• Resting the head on the back of the seat helps to reduce head movement and hence serves as an effective natural remedy for Motion Sickness.
• Individuals are often advised not to keep standing while traveling to help reduce Motion Sickness.
• Distracting the mind and if possible, traveling during night time are also some of the most successful home remedies for Motion Sickness prevention and cure.
Diet for Motion Sickness
Having non citrus fruit juices and avoiding alcoholic and carbonated beverages is a highly recommended dietary tip for dealing with Motion Sickness.
Plus, avoiding overindulgence in heavy and greasy meals the day prior to journey and just having a light meal or snack before traveling is one of the most effective natural home remedies for Motion Sickness management through diet.
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