Motion Sickness Relief?

[iDanceonice]

Hello FSUers,

I'm wondering if anyone has any secrets to motion sickness relief? I've recently been spending a lot of time in the car, however I'm not the one driving. I'd love to make use of the commuting time to do work, etc., but I get SO motion sick any time I even look at words on a page I've been recommended this device, but $114 is a lot of money for something that sounds a little bit like a placebo. I'm willing to spend the money if it's something that has some potential. Has anyone had any experience with one of these electronic nausea relief bands? I'd also love to hear any other remedies people here might suggest.

Thanks in advance everyone!

[brina]

It is my understanding that there are medications for motion sickness. I am not sure if they would be appropriate for someone trying to read in a car though, I think they're more for people that get sick on airplanes or cruise ships. I feel your pain though! I get motion sickness in cars, especially if I try to read.

[made_in_canada]

I have similar issues and have just resigned myself to not being able to do anything. I haven't tried any of those devices though. Even if I'm driving somewhere with lots of billboards I get sick from reading them even if I don't realize I'm reading them. I use ginger gravol lots because it doesn't make me sleepy but I still can't read or do anything in the car.

[Ziggy]

If you suffer from motion sickness, you can't read in a car/bus/boat/plane because it makes the symptoms much worse.

Medication (sold over the counter) can alleviate them but it makes you drowsy/sleepy (so you can't use it when driving).

[literaryfreak]

Have you ever tried the over the counter medications, like Dramamine or Bonine? I used to get motion sick whenever I was in a plane or bus and my dad would try all the specialized things like the wristbands, homeopathy, etc, assuming that the regular stuff would never work. Turns out the medications easily bought at a drugstore work like a charm for me! I have a bottle with me everywhere, it's been my life savior.

Although as posted above, I'm not sure if it works for reading in a car.

[barbk]

Have you considered audio books/zines/podcasts rather than trying to read?

[Prancer]

I get motion sickness in the car if I read anything for more than a second or two. I used to get only a little sick, but now? Bleah--hanging my head out the window gasping in (preferably) cold air sick.

When we go on long trips, I take Bonine about an hour before we leave and then I can read for hours without any problem at all. I also take Bonine if we go to an amusement park and I can ride everything without getting sick. It doesn't make me sleepy, either, unlike dramamine.

Focusing on anything besides the road is what gives you motion sickness. Your ears tell your brain that you are in motion, but your eyes tell your brain that you are fixed in place; that's what makes you sick. That's why people in the front are less likely to get sick than people in the back; the people in the front have an unobstructed view of the horizon. If you find yourself getting sick in the car, a good, clear view of the road ahead will make you feel better--eventually. Otherwise, it's Bonine for me.

[Ziggy]

Focusing on anything besides the road is what gives you motion sickness. Your ears tell your brain that you are in motion, but your eyes tell your brain that you are fixed in place; that's what makes you sick. That's why people in the front are less likely to get sick than people in the back; the people in the front have an unobstructed view of the horizon. If you find yourself getting sick in the car, a good, clear view of the road ahead will make you feel better--eventually. Otherwise, it's Bonine for me.

Yes.

If you're in a car, it's best to sit next to the drive, keep your head level and look forward and not to the side.

If you're in a plane, it's best to sit in the middle of the plane because there's the least amount of movement there (if the plane moves up or down the front or tail will change position but the middle won't).

[agalisgv]

Your ears tell your brain that you are in motion, but your eyes tell your brain that you are fixed in place; that's what makes you sick.

So theoretically, if a person could completely muffle the sound of the road, would that prevent motion sickness?

Just curious, but does anyone know why some folk can read while driving without issue? My son can do that, and I've been eternally jealous.

[brina]

I don't think the motion detected by your inner ear is related to hearing. Your inner ear is involved with fine motions and balance -- which is why you get vertigo with ear infections sometimes.

No one could understand why I like my car when the suspension is so stiff; I honestly wasn't sure either until I rode in cars with "luxury" suspension. I can't stand them! I get so nauseated!

[iDanceonice]

Thanks for all of the fast responses everyone! I have tried Dramamine and Gravol; unfortunately, both have made me very drowsy for a long time, preventing me from doing other things throughout the day. I tend to take them on longer plane rides though, and they definitely help. Is Bonine a less drowsy replacement for Dramamine or Gravol? Perhaps I will try that. Audiobooks and podcasts are great, but when I've got to get work done (textbook reading/specific articles), these solutions don't work.

I too am eternally jealous of those that can read in the car without getting sick! I wonder why this is as well...

[Prancer]

So theoretically, if a person could completely muffle the sound of the road, would that prevent motion sickness?

It's not your hearing that does it; it's your equilibrium. Your inner ear detects motion and your body's placement in relation to motion.

Motion of the body is detected in the three semicircular canals at the top of each inner ear, each one oriented in a different plane. There is a small chamber at one end of each canal containing hair cells. Whenever the head is moved, the fluid within the canals lags in its motion so that there is relative motion between the walls and the endolymph. This stimulates the hair cells to send impulses back to the brain.

When the hair cells send messages that are incongruent with what the eyes are seeing and our body is feeling, as may occur in a boat or aircraft during rough weather, motion sickness can result.

http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ult...H/Hearing.html

This explanation covers the nausea part in some detail and suggests antihistamines as a solution: http://www.drgreene.com/azguide/motion-sickness

Just curious, but does anyone know why some folk can read while driving without issue? My son can do that, and I've been eternally jealous.

Some people just don't get motion sickness. Their brains handle the mixed signals.

[jlai]

I don't get motion sickness regularly, but when a car stops and goes and stops and goes then I don't feel so good. Or if the road is really hilly and bumpy for a stretch of time. (I get motion sickness more often when I travel in China because of the bumpy driving.)

[taf2002]

The only time I ever got motion sick was on a fishing boat in the Gulf of Mexico. The Gulf is relatively shallow so when there are ground swells the motion is really sickening. I don't get sick farther out to sea, even thru a storm or in trains, planes, or automobiles. I don't know why because I have a really tender stomach.

[nerdycool]

I used to be able to read in the car with no problems. But the less I do it, the more susceptible I am to motion sickness. So it makes me think it might have something to do with acclimation... much like figure skaters & spinning. One has to do it more to have lesser effects. Just a theory.

What also helps: cooler circulating air. If it's hot or the air's not moving, it makes nausea come a lot quicker.

[cynthiabc]

I use Bonine regularly when I travel. I am susceptible to motion sickness and I have not been able to read in a car. Bonine has never made me feel drowsy, and it makes a difference. For me there seems to be a visual component to my motion sickness. In a car I always look out a window, I prefer to drive than be a passenger.

[Auntie]

I have friends that can't/won't sit in third row seats of vans and SUVs because of motion sickness. If the are in the front seat, they are fine. Or so they say. They might just be messing with me so they can sit in front.

[Lanie]

I want to try that Bonine and see if it works. I get a headache, I feel warm, just ugh, if I'm not driving. Having cold air in my face helps, but I can't stand sitting in the backseat any time at all or else I get so sick. I've never been able to read in the car, at all; just looking at words makes my head hurt and then the nausea and yuck! Man, I hate it so much. I'm so jealous of my mom who can read in the car.

[redonthehead]

As long as I can see straight ahead then my motion sickness stays at bay. But I love to read so this is what helps me.

I either sit in the front seat or smack in the middle of the back seat. To be able to read, I put a pillow in my lap which brings my book up to dash level and I don't have to look down. Also, the car can not be hot for long trips. It can be warm if it's in the winter but not hot.

[Rukia]

I get bad motion sickness. Dramamine is too weak for me. Meclizine (which is the ingredient in Bonine) works very well, but it does make me very sleepy. While I've been breastfeeding, I started using the sea bands. I was extremely surprised to find out that they work. I am able to ride in the back seat of a car! I do notice that if my blood sugar is getting low I'll still get nausea (but that's probably a personal issue), and I still can't really read or concentrate on things too much (which I can do on meclizine). But they are definitely worth the $10 I paid for them.