What is Motion Sickness?
Motion sickness, sometimes referred to as sea sickness or car sickness, is a very common disturbance of the inner ear that is caused by repeated motion. Anyone can develop motion sickness, but people vary in their sensitivity to motion. Motion sickness most commonly affects children from 2 to 12 years old, pregnant women, and people who are prone to migraines. In addition to sea travel, motion sickness can develop from the movement of a car or from turbulence in an airplane.
What are symptoms of motion sickness?
Symptoms of motion sickness are:
Nausea
Vomiting
Dizziness
Sweating
A sense of feeling unwell or anxiety
These symptoms arise from the inner ear (labyrinth) due to changes in a person’s sense of balance and equilibrium.
10 Tips to prevent motion sickness
While it may be impossible to prevent all cases of motion sickness, the following tips can help you prevent or lessen the severity of motion sickness:
- Watch your consumption of foods, drinks, and alcohol before and during travel. Avoid excessive alcohol and foods or liquids that “do not agree with you” or make you feel unusually full. Heavy, spicy, or fat-rich foods may worsen motion sickness in some people.
- Avoiding strong food odors may also help prevent nausea.
- Try to choose a seat where you will experience the least motion. Sit near to the front or centre of the boat/yacht. Those in lower level cabins near the center of a boat/yacht generally experience less motion than passengers in higher or outer cabins.
- Do not sit facing backwards from your direction of travel.
- Do not read while traveling if you are prone to motion sickness.
- When traveling by boat/yacht, it can sometimes help to keep your gaze fixed on the horizon or on a fixed point.
- Position yourself to a source of fresh air if possible.
- Isolate yourself from others who may be suffering from motion sickness. Hearing others talk about motion sickness or seeing others becoming ill can sometimes make you feel ill yourself.
- The over-the-counter medication meclizine (Bonine, Antivert, Dramamine) can be a very effective preventive measure for short trips or for mild cases of motion sickness.
- Your doctor also may choose to prescribe medications for longer trips or if you repeatedly develop severe motion sickness. One example of a prescription medication is a patch containing scopolamine (Transderm-Scop) that often is effective in preventing motion sickness. Remember that scopolamine can cause drowsiness and has other side effects, and its use should be discussed with your physician prior to your trip.
Here is some additional advice to consider:
It’s your body/mind reacting to the unusual sensation so your body and especially stomach tends to cramp. Breathing deeply and slowly to try and relax your stomach muscle really helps as this is the main source of the issue.
Try to let your body relax and gently move in unison with the boat rather than trying to stay still.
Breathe, find a position with plenty of fresh air but not too much direct strong wind in the face.
We offer anti-motion-sickness tablets briefing before departure.
You can ask your hotel or villa host if they have some medication or your local pharmacy will sell them very inexpensively. You can also take one with evening meal before the day of your trip.
NOTE:
We will advise you very clearly about wind and wave conditions. Occasionally there are some waves but we only approve trips when conditions are well within safety tolerances. Our captains are highly experienced and want everyone comfortable and relaxed when you arrive at destination.