Travel Sickness

What is travel sickness?

Travel sickness is a disorder that involves feeling nauseated when travelling. This can often be accompanied by a cold sweat, dizziness and pale skin, and sometimes results in actually being sick but often doesn’t.

The common ways in which people experience travel sickness is when travelling by car, train or plane, but it can also occur on amusement park rides. Feeling unwell when travelling by boat is often referred to as “sea sickness” but it still falls under the same umbrella of motion sickness.

What causes travel sickness?

Travel sickness occurs because of a conflict among your senses. As you move, your eyes see one thing, your inner ears sense another thing and your muscles a different thing. Because of all the mixed signals, your brain struggles to process the conflict and you end up feeling sick, and often dizzy.

Your inner ears are responsible for balance and they are part of a system that sends information to your brain to let you know what’s going on around you. This includes telling the brain whether you’re standing up or lying down, and where you are in relation to the world (and its gravity).

When this information reaches your brain, it is usually processed with no issues. However, when in motion, the various signals the brain receives can contradict each other. On a flying plane, your ears and muscles can feel that you’re moving but your eyes will be telling your brain that you are not, hence why it gets confused and displays this as sickness.

How can I treat travel sickness?

Usually symptoms subside on their own, either after you get used to the motion or once you are stationary again. If you travel frequently or for prolonged periods of time though, you’ll likely want something to avoid the disorder completely. At UK Meds, we offer effectual medications to treat and prevent travel sickness, that will allow you to ride by car, train or plane with no trouble.

There are also some things that you can do during your journey to reduce the effects of travel sickness. Make sure you get plenty of fresh air and try to relax. Focus on a stable object, such as the window of a car or the horizon when travelling by boat, or close your eyes. Avoid reading or using tech because looking down at something can make your motion sickness worse.

One condition that may contribute to your travel sickness is an inability to get to sleep. When traveling, your sleeping schedule may be interrupted. You may find that this causes you to suffer from Insomnia. Flying on planes and switching timezones can be very disruptive to sleep. If this happens often, a doctor may prescribe for you sleeping aids which can help you attain a better sleep schedule. Insomnia is a disorder identified by having difficulty sleeping through the night.

More Information

• How to avoid motion sickness