MOTION SICKNESS: WHY YOU EXPERIENCE IT AND WAYS TO PREVENT THE ASSOCIATED DISCOMFORT.

          Motion sickness is a very common disturbance of the inner ear that is caused by repeated motion such as from the swell of the sea, the movement of a car, the motion of a plane in turbulent air, etc.

          There is no difference between motion sickness and sea sickness. Some people experience nausea and even vomiting when riding in an airplane, automobile, or amusement park ride. This condition is generally called motion sickness. Many people experience motion sickness when riding on a boat or ship. This is commonly referred to as sea sickness (mal de mer), even though it is the same disorder.

Individuals and animals without a functional vestibular system are immune to motion sickness.

What are the symptoms of motion sickness?

          The symptoms overall of motion sickness include nausea, vomiting, and dizziness (vertigo). Other common signs are sweating and a general feeling of discomfort and not feeling well (malaise).

          Mild symptoms are categorized as headache, mild unease and yawning. More serious symptoms include nausea, vomiting, pallor, sweating, drooling, short breath, dizziness and drowsiness.

          The symptoms of motion sickness appear when the central nervous system receives conflicting messages from the other four systems: the inner ear, eyes, skin pressure receptors, and the muscle and joint sensory receptors.

What causes motion sickness?

          Motion sickness is caused by what’s known as a “neural mismatch.” Normally your eyes, muscles, joints and the balance mechanism in your inner ear send messages to your brain about your body’s movement in space.

          The neural mismatch that causes motion sickness usually follows one of two patterns. The first is when your body experiences motion that your eyes can’t see. One example of this is being below deck on a rocking boat or ship. Everything in the room looks stationary to your eye. But your body can feel the motion of the boat.

          The other type of neural mismatch occurs when your body is not actually moving, but your eyes tell it that it is. This can happen when you are watching a movie in a widescreen theater.

PREVENTION

Here are some tips to help prevent it.

• Travel on an empty stomach.

• On an airplane, try to get an aisle seat toward the center of the cabin, where motion is the calmest. On a ship, request a lower-level cabin toward the middle of the vessel to minimize motion.

• Avoid odors such as perfume, smoke or cooking smells. Open a window for fresh air if possible. Turn on the air vent if you’re on an airplane.

• Don’t read or watch videos while traveling.

• During a bumpy car or boat ride, try keeping your gaze fixed on something stationary, like the horizon.

Medications are also a good way to prevent motion sickness and are best taken before travelling etc, and using such for treatment may be too late to avoid or treat the condition.

• Scopolamine (Transderm Scop) is most commonly prescribed medication for motion sickness. It must be taken before symptoms start. It is available as a patch form that is placed behind the ear 6 - 8 hours before travel. The effects last up to 3 days. Side effects may include dry mouth, drowsiness, blurred vision, and disorientation.
• Promethazine (Phenergan) should be taken 2 hours before travel. The effects last 6 - 8 hours. Side effects may include drowsiness and dry mouth.
• Cyclizine (Marezine) is most effective when taken at least 30 minutes before travel. It is not recommended for children younger than 6, and side effects are similar to scopolamine.
• Dimenhydrinate (Dramamine) is taken every 4 - 8 hours. Side effects are similar to scopolamine.
  Dimenhydrinate chewing gum - people with motion sickness can receive significant symptom relief from a newly developed type of medicated chewing gum which contains the active ingredient dimenhydrinate. A team of experts, led by Mohsen Sadatrezaei of RoshaDarou Co., carried out a study which showed that patients can absorb the medication through the cheek.
• Meclizine (Bonine) is most effective when taken 1 hour before travel. It is not recommended for children under 12, and side effects may include drowsiness and dry mouth.

A word of caution: Most motion sickness medications tend to make people drowsy.

Treatment options for motion sickness?

          The distressing symptoms of motion sickness usually stop when the motion that causes it ceases. But this is not always true. There are people who suffer symptoms for even a few days after the trip is over.

          One common suggestion is to simply look out of the window of the moving vehicle and to gaze toward the horizon in the direction of travel. This helps to re-orient the inner sense of balance by providing a visual reaffirmation of motion.

          In the night, or in a ship without windows, it is helpful to simply close one's eyes, or if possible, take a nap. This resolves the input conflict between the eyes and the inner ear. Napping also helps prevent psychogenic effects (i.e. the effect of sickness being magnified by thinking about it).

          A simple method for relieving common and mild car sickness is chewing. Chewing gum has an uncanny effectiveness for reducing car sickness in those affected.

          Fresh, cool air can also relieve motion sickness slightly, although it is likely this is related to avoiding foul odors which can worsen nausea.Chewing gum, however, is not the only thing one may chew to relieve mild effects of car sickness, snacking on sweets or just chewing in general seems to reduce adverse effects of the conflict between vision and balance.

Ginger has also been found to reduce motion sickness. This is available in tablet form or a fresh stem of ginger can also be chewed to relive symptoms.

Some studies suggest that acupressure may help reduce symptoms of motion sickness in the same way as acupuncture, although the evidence is not clear. An acupressure practitioner works with the same points used in acupuncture, but stimulates these healing sites with finger pressure, rather than inserting fine needles. 

PLEASE SHARE WITH US THE PREVENTION/TREATMENT OPTION(S) THAT WORKS FOR YOU.

RESOURCE:

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com

http://www.spokesman.com