Road Travel: Tips to Deal with Car Sickness

• Tips/Guides-Tips/Guides

There are few things worse about travelling, whether in a car, boat, or ‘plane, is motion sickness. This is the one thing that can turn a good time into “get me out of here!” faster than you can say, Indiana Jones.

Motion sickness happens when the movement your eyes see is different from the movement your inner ear senses. Your brain receives signals from the parts of your body that senses movement. When they send conflicting signals, your brain gets confused and doesn’t know whether you’re moving or stationary. This difficulty in your brain to make sense of the information is what causes us to feel ill.

If you’re prone to this unfortunate ailment, the sooner you take action, the easier it is to ease the symptoms before they reach intolerable levels. So without further ado, some quick tips to remedy that nasty nausea:

1. Face in the direction you’re travelling – It helps to sit in the front seat, and move your head as little as possible.
2. Look out into the horizon – Focus on something stationary as far out into the horizon as possible.
3. Distract yourself – Stimulate your other senses – switch on the radio or keep a conversation going.
4. Get fresh air – Open the window, close your eyes, and breathe deeply.
5. Avoid reading anything up close – Put down the books and mobile devices for reading, and rather listen to podcasts, audiobooks, or music instead.
6. Sniff aromatherapy oils like peppermint or lavender – Be sure to only use pure, natural essential oils.
7. Try different positions – Work out a position that works for you, this could be lying down, sitting with your head between your knees, putting your head back, etc.
8. Consume ginger in some form such as ginger ale, ginger candy, glacé ginger, etc. as it is known to relieve nausea.
9. Avoid junk food – Greasy, fried food, coffee, and most fast foods will aggravate the situation.
10. Nibble on plain crackers – If hungry, stick to plain food like dry toast or crackers without anything on.
11. Avoid alcohol, both before and during travel.
12. Avoid smoking – Even breathing in second-hand smoke will aggravate the symptoms.
13. Stay hydrated – Drink cold plain water or sparkling water to keep thirst at bay. If you plan ahead, make some chamomile tea and take it with you in a flask or travel mug and sip on it, either hot or cold.
14. Try acupressure – This is an ancient healing art that activates specific points on the body to help relieve pain, tension, and other symptoms by unblocking the flow of energy.

Conclusion

Any type of transportation can cause motion sickness, but generally, your body and brain become used to being in motion the more you travel. In the meantime, if you’re a sufferer, there are over-the-counter medicines to help you get through the journey. But car sickness is not life-threatening and it might be better to train your body to overcome it naturally. 

Your car, however, should never be sick, especially not when going on long road trips. Find your nearest Supa Quick and pop in for a free vehicle safety check. This way, you’ll be well-prepared for that long-awaited holiday.

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