Related Articles
This Is How to Stop Seasickness – a Complete Guide on Prevention and Cure
Why Some People Don’t Experience Seasickness?
These Behaviors Would Cause More Trouble
Is There Any Scientific Way to Prevent Seasickness?
According to estimations almost 90% of humans experience sea/motion sickness in their life — at least once. That means you have probably experienced it and looked for possible cures at some point in your life. However, you must know that there’s no permanente and completely proved method of treatment when it comes to seasickness.
So… I’m afraid to say that you may not get rid of seasickness for the rest of your life; but but reading this article, however, would allow you to reduce the chances of experiencing it to zero. Read on for plenty of useful tips, tricks and hints.
What Causes seasickness?
Simply put, our brain counts on several motion sensors to identify our actual position. That is, there must be a reason for our brain to believe that we are moving, jumping, running, falling, etc.
Some of the most important motion sensors are placed in our inner ear, collaborating with eyes and skin. So when we move, these parts of our body send information about the intense, direction and speed of the movement. So, a seasickness (A.K.A motion or travel sickness) happens when something interrupts the connection between these components and brain.
Is There Any Permanent Cure?
As mentioned above, no one has find a permanent solution for seasickness. Although plenty of researchers have been trying to solve this problem, there’s no definite way to stop it. Thus, it would not be possible to say you can “cure” seasickness.
On this article, however, we will help you to find some temporary but effective ways to prevent, control and reduce the chance of experiencing seasickness while on board. There might be no cure for this sickness, but science and technology are here to help you! Following below instructions would give you a chance to get rid of all unwanted feelings you may experience while sailing or cruising.
Why Some People Don’t Experience Seasickness?
Well, after a certain time your brain can develop a plan to analyze the situation without exact information. That is, sailing and being on a boat for many hours would evolve your brain, giving it the capability of determining the position and movement without needing exact visual information.
So, the main reason for experiencing seasickness would be spending more time on board. Those who have been working/traveling on board may feel less exposed to seasickness comparing to their first days experiencing sea motions.
However, since our bodies are totally different and can operate in various ways, there might be people who won’t experience seasickness throughout their life. But you should not forget that 90% of us will face sea/travel sickness at least once!
These Behaviors Would Cause More Trouble
Reducing the chances of facing seasickness while on board needs some effort. You can’t expect to be immune to this sickness spontaneously — because there would be a one in million chance.
If you don’t want to risk your next travel, try to avoid following behaviors.
• staying below ship:
As mentioned above, the main reasons behind seasickness is a lack of proper communication between your body’s movement sensors and the brain. Staying below ship, however, would mislead your brain, resulting a lack of proper information and eventually seasickness.
In other words, when you’re below ship and can’t see the reasons behind movements (i.e waves), your brain would analyze the information based on misconceptions. And for this reason, you will soon face seasickness.
• staying on front or back end of the deck:
You will feel much more tensions and movements on these areas. The front or back end of a boat/ship are among the worst choices to stay on for you. It would increase the chance of experiencing seasickness throughout your journey. This, avoid staying on these two areas while on board.
• reading:
Reading should not be one your options while traveling with a boat. Your eyes will try to send a clear vision to your brain and reduce the blur of text your trying to read, resulting headache and dizziness — that soon will turn into a seasickness.
So, avoid reading while on board. Instead, stay on the deck and enjoy the landscape. Watching the waves that hit your boat would create a great chance for your brain to analyze properly, resulting less possibility to face seasickness.
• using binoculars and/or cameras:
Binoculars and cameras can fool your visual system and lead to a feeling of dizziness. If you are not a professional sailor and it’s your first time being on board, try not to use both of them throughout the trip. However, since most of use are in love with taking pictures for future Facebook posts, you better try to take pictures with your phone — professional cameras are more likely to cause visual problems.
• lack of movement:
If you’ve decided to lay back and enjoy your trip from the first hour to its last, think again! Lack of movement and stability on board is a great invitation for seasickness (especially when you are below ship).
To avoid this behavior, try to walk on the deck regularly and/or participate in some works that are needed on board.
Note: walking on the deck may not be possible on some situations. Try to ask person in charge before doing so.
Keep 3 Things in Mind
• prevention is way too effective:
Trying to recover from a seasickness is not something that you would like to experience! Trust me, it takes a lot of effort and is also risky to some extent. Excessive vomiting, for instance, may cause major health problems, requiring urgent attention.
For this reason, you must try to prevent it from happening rather than preparing to face it! No one would be able to help you after feeling dizzy and nauseated. That’s why you have to do everything possible before it’s too late.
• keep close to rails (if it’s too late):
I’m sure you do not want to consider the worst situation… But you have to! Believe it or not, there’s always a great chance of facing seasickness for all those who are travelling on board — including you. So if the worst possibilities turned into reality and you felt nauseated, try to keep close to rails (i.e. near to a side of boat). The reason behind this suggestion is the fact that you may vomit at any point, which is not a good news for others on the boat. No one would like to smell your vomit — especially when there’s the risk of feeling nauseated for everyone — right?
So, keep close to rails when feeling nauseated. And do not face the wind — if you don’t want to vomit on yourself.
• close your eyes:
Closing your eyes and relaxing on the boat while getting some fresh air would help you a lot. After feeling nauseated, try to keep on board, near to rails and lay back closing your eyes. Ask someone to stay with you (if possible) and tell them to call for help if anything went wrong.
Staring at the horizon is also another good technique of controlling nausea.
Foods and Drinks to consume Vs. Foods and Drinks to Avoid
There are some foods and drinks that are believed to be helpful when it comes to seasickness. Although many of them are not scientifically proven to be useful for this situation, plenty of people use them as a way of preventing unwanted feelings on board.
These options may help you
• ginger:
Ginger has a long history in sailing. Many sailors have been using it for different purposes, especially when it comes to seasickness. You can drink, chew or eat ginger so as to reduce the chance of seasickness to its minimum. Ginger is not proven to be effective for this problem. However, plenty of sailors and normal people who have tried it before are happy with the results — and recommend it!
• soft drinks (such as Coke and Pepsi):
Well, soft drinks are pretty much the best option you have while on board. They are delicious, refreshing and cold! Try one before feeling nauseated or dizzy. It would help you to get better while being enable to control the situation.
• chewing gum:
Chewing gums may not seem to be a useful choice for stopping the seasickness, but believe it or not, they are! You can use a chewing gum while staying on the deck, watching the landscape. This would help you and your brain to relax and get rid of all unwanted feelings. However, bear in mind that excessive chewing may cause headache — so use this technique properly.
Avoid these options on a boat
• alcohol:
To be honest, you can even vomit after having couple of drinks in a bar… So, don’t forget that things may go worst while having hard liquor on a boat/ship. To avoid any risks on your next sea travel, try not to drink such stuff. I know it may not be easy for those who are planning to have an enjoyable trip, but it would be much harder to end up with vomiting — trust me.
• heavy and greasy foods:
First things first: greasy foods are not healthy — no matter how delicious they are. So, try to avoid them throughout your life, not just on board. However, if you are only looking for seasickness prevention methods and not interested in lifestyle suggestions, do not eat such foods before/while sailing or cruising.
•strong spices:
They make your foods delicious; but I’m afraid to say you must avoid them for couple of hours/days. Strong spices increase the chance of facing nauseating situations, therefore it’s better not to have them in your foods before/while traveling with a boat.
Is There Any Scientific Way to Prevent Seasickness?
Well, there are some medications that are believed to be proper solution for seasickness. Below, you can find a list of these medications that may come in handy when it comes to sea/travel sickness.
Note: most of these medications must be prescribed by a doctor. So consult with them before making any decisions. (And let your doctor know if you’ve started using any of them).
• Prescription Scopolamine skin patches
• Prescription Stugeron (available in the UK and Australia)
• Nonprescription medications
What About Wristbands?
Wristbands are a technological way of preventing seasickness. You can buy them online or from related stores. A wristband is designed to control your blood pulses in order to prevent any possible nauseating situations. There are two different types of wristbands: normal and electric ones. (Both of them are able to help you while on board; however, using an electronic one is recommended).
Reference (s):
1. Tom Lochhaas | 2018 | Seasickness Prevention and Cure
