Car sickness or motion sickness is an uncomfortable condition many people experience when travelling too frequently or over long distances. Common symptoms of this condition include an uncomfortable sensation in the stomach, nagging headache and nausea. The condition can turn a wonderful trip into a dreadful ride. Fortunately, as common as the problem is, it isn’t something you can’t manage and overcome.
This guide covers all the helpful measures you can take to beat the dreaded car motion sickness and travel in peace. Before we move on to the tips, that let’s explore what motion sickness is and the obvious car sick symptoms:
What is Motion Sickness?
Motion sickness, car sickness or travel sickness is a feeling of discomfort triggered by motion or movement. Motion sickness is exclusive to woozy feelings some people experience when sitting in a moving vehicle – cars, buses, planes, boats, or trains. It can even happen when you’re on an amusement ride or virtual reality experience.
Besides making travel experiences unpleasant, motion sickness has no other adverse effects. Those who are prone to it are suggested to plan their commute ahead. This may help in minimising or avoiding its effects. One should also be aware of the factors that trigger or worsen the condition.
Here are a few factors that trigger car motion sickness when travelling:
- Sitting on the back seat and unable to view the horizon
- Reading a book in a vehicle
- Feeling suffocated or not able to get enough air
Symptoms of Car Sickness
Car motion sickness is not rare, approximately 2 out of 5 people are prone to motion sickness. In case of intense motion, such sickness is highly susceptible to almost everyone.
The following are the common car sick symptoms that you may or may not know:
- Nausea/vomiting
- Cold sweats
- Headaches/pain at the temples
- Pale, clammy skin
- Feeling sleepy
- Increased salivation
- Increased yawning (usually the first symptom)
- Irritability
How to Prevent Car Sickness
Here are a few tips that may help you avoid car motion sickness, especially on longer journeys:
Be Careful What you Eat and Drink Before Traveling
One of the major causes of car motion sickness is the food and drinks consumed before commuting. Avoid drinking excessive alcohol, fizzy drinks as well as food that makes you feel full. Don’t eat anything that normally doesn’t get along well with your body – such as spicy or fat-rich food, high in oil and cholesterol. Such foods can trigger car sickness the most.
Choose the Right Seat
If you know you’re prone to car sickness, you must choose a seat that minimises perceived motion, which is usually the front seat. If you’re on the back, try not to stare at a stationary seat too much as it can trigger nausea. If it’s a trip uphill, try exchanging seats after an hour or so. This will help all passengers in avoiding car sickness.
Proper Ventilation Helps
Ensure proper ventilation inside the vehicle. For this, keep the windows rolled down. Most often, the air conditioner can be the worst trigger of car sickness. Maintain a balance between the two in case of a long road trip – you can keep the AC on to keep the car cool or roll down the windows for some time to enjoy the fresh breeze.
Close your Eyes and Take a Deep Breath
Since car motion sickness is characterized by both physiological and psychological, you can control it by learning to dominate your thoughts and feelings. As soon as you feel nausea building up, close your eyes, take deep breaths, and just feel you’re not travelling. Try to convince your mind into believing that you’re enjoying the ride. If possible, distract yourself with positive thoughts, such as thinking about the destination and all the things that you’ll enjoy there. It helps enormously.
Turn on the Music or Converse
Sitting idle aggravates car sickness thus, switch on the music on your car infotainment system when you realise you’re not going to hold up well on your own. According to research, listening to music in a vehicle helps greatly with nausea and other symptoms associated with car motion sickness. You can also start a conversation with your travelling partner to distract yourself.
Seek Medical Help When Needed
If nothing works, it’s useless to keep struggling on your own and not seek medical assistance. If your nausea has taken a grip on your body visit a doctor to treat it. Your doctor may prescribe some medicines that should be taken before you commute to your destination. They may also prescribe therapies that may include wearing pressure bands on the wrist.
Besides, mental training is one of the treatments of car motion sickness. According to a study, visuospatial training, in which a person manipulates 3D objects in their mind, may help ease motion sickness.
Additional Tips to Beat Car Sickness
Here are a few additional ones that may help you prevent travel sickness:
- Drink water – not alcohol
- Keep away from smells that make you feel sick
- Cigarette smoke is bad for car as well as humans, thus, keep yourself away from it
- Don’t read in the car or use mobile too much (it’s also proven as a trigger)
- Look out at the sky or distant objects
- Lie down if you don’t feel good
- Closing your eyes may help as well
- Relax yourself and focus on something abstract, such as counting backwards
- Breathe in the aroma of mint or ginger as it helps your body relax
Motion sickness is nothing to be too worried about. If you have mild symptoms, take proper measures to prevent them and allow others to help you. If your car sickness symptoms are worsening, seek a doctor and get suitable medicines or therapy before your next trip.
Since car motion sickness is not an unmanageable problem, it should not stop you from travelling or even driving. Interestingly, drivers are less prone to motion sickness than passengers. Once you have learned to overcome your sickness as a passenger, you can consider buying a used car in the UAE. You may choose to invest in a car that offers a smooth ride and better handling. Check out these notable recommendations:
- Second-hand Audi for sale in the UAE
- Used BMW for sale online in the UAE
- Second-hand Porsche in the UAE for sale
- Used Mercedes-Benz for sale in the UAE
Stay tuned to the UAE’s leading auto blog for more driving and car buying tips.
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