Ways to Overcome Post Travel Sickness
Travel sickness is referred to as, a state in which the person feels sick and dizzy after travelling, regardless of the means of transport. Many people experience travel sickness. It is mostly triggered by spending long hours in a moving car, boat or aeroplane.
In medical terms, Travel sickness usually occurs when a person’s brain and inner ears are not in alignment it was recognised a long time ago, as more and more people reported minor headaches and upset stomachs after travelling although travel sickness is not considered as a medical condition or illness but is still given much medical attention.
Before moving on to some ways to overcome post travel sickness, let’s understand why travel sickness occurs.
Why does travel sickness occur?
Travel sickness occurs due to a conflict between the brain and inner ears.
Inner ears are associated with the sense of balance, which means they give a person the ability to maintain their balance via the vestibular system.
When a person is travelling, the brain receives mixed signals. The eyes of the person see a static view while the inner ear of that person is moving up and down.
This way, the input that the brain is receiving is disoriented, causing travel sickness.
A few symptoms that make it evident that a person is having a post-travel sickness are;
• Nausea
• Dizziness
• Drowsiness
• Pallor
• Vomiting
• Restlessness
While post travel sickness can be very irritating, it can be cured by some easy ways:
1. Fight-off Nausea with medication
Sumatriptan available on Click Pharmacy is a drug used to relieve headaches and nausea and is useful in overcoming the symptoms of travel sickness, it is advisable to carry the medicine with you if you are expected to travel on a long journey and suffer from travel sickness.
2. Treat with Ginger
Ginger has been a traditional natural remedy for post-travel sickness for a long time.
It helps cure the sickness by reducing the level of gastric dysrhythmias and plasma vasopressin developed in the body. As a result, the person starts feeling better.
After travelling, it is recommended that two grams of ginger should be consumed to prevent nausea.
3. Chewing
Mild effects of post-travel sickness can be significantly minimised by chewing. Chewing gum has proved to work for many affected people. It does not necessarily mean only chewing a bubble gum works, but It can be anything edible like snacks.
As the person starts chewing, the muscle movement involved eliminates the conflict between the vision and the balance.
Hence, reducing the symptoms of post-travel sickness.
4. Synchronise Your head
Tilting your head into turns may help synchronise your body with the motion and reduce travel sickness.
When a person is travelling in a car on a curvy path, the turns and rotary motion trick the brain into thinking that the body is stationary while the eyes see the moving objects. This contrast causes travel sickness otherwise known as ‘motion sickness’.
To counter this, the medical experts recommend tilting the head in different directions.
In 2016,
Ergonomics published a study in which the researchers found that the people who twisted their heads in the direction of turns taken while travelling, felt the effect of travel sickness quite less compared to the ones who kept their heads stationary.
5. Hydrate Yourself
Water is associated with many benefits for the human body. It is medically proven to be a skin smoother and is very important to keep your vitals regular at all times.
A hydrated person is less likely to experience travel sickness as compared to the dehydrated person. This is because when a person drinks plenty of water, his cognitive performance is enhanced.
While water is an excellent source of power for the brain and it also helps in relief from headache.
6. Avoid Sudden Movements
A great way to reduce post travel sickness is avoiding sudden movements of your head or body.
A person who is experiencing motion sickness should rest his head and lie down with eyes closed, even if for a brief movement.
This will ease the contracted muscles of the body resulting in relief from post travel sickness symptoms.
7. Applying pressure on P6 or Pericardium 6
There are points in a human body which are called pressure points. Applying pressure on these points can result in instant relief- phenomena of using pressure on these points is known as acupressure.
Traditional Chinese medicine suggests that treating nausea the natural way include pressing the pressure points known as Pericardium 6 or P6.
Pericardium 6 is located on the forearm, almost two inches above the wrist. Using the index finger of the other hand to apply minimal force on P6 can reduce nausea to a certain level.
8. Rest
Rest is the best of all travel sickness treatments. It is often undervalued.
A human body requires complete rest to relax the muscles and brain cells. A person enduring symptoms of post-travel sickness should try to sleep it off.
Resting helps in building resilience in a body as it gives time to the cells, nerves and tissues to regenerate.
The risk factor of experiencing travel sickness varies from person to person, and even the most frequent travellers are affected by it.
• Women feel it more than men
• Young people are more likely to experience travel sickness compared to older people
• Passengers tend to be more prone to this sickness than drivers
There is no exact reason as to why a person goes through post travel sickness. Different ways trigger it in different people.
However, Precaution is always better than treatment.
So, the traveller should always be prepared by taking precautionary measures instead of enduring the uncomfortable phase of post-travel sickness. Although travel sickness can’t be eradicated, it can inevitably be reduced to a minimum level.
