How to avoid travel sickness

Travel sickness... Aagh! I think I’m going to be sick!

Have you ever seen a tightrope walker in action? You’re sure they’re going to fall, but they never do. That is because they have perfect balance; they will never fall or feel ill.

When your balance is not quite right, because of the speed you are travelling, or due to bends in the road, or the car suddenly stopping, your body becomes upset, perceiving all this as a series of contradictory signals. The result is travel sickness.

Of course, these effects, caused by motion, do not have the same result on everyone. How you are affected varies from one person to another and according to age: some people suffer from travel sickness as children, but get over it once they become adults.

Symptoms

The symptoms you may notice before becoming travel sick are:

	Your face turns pale		Excessive saliva
	You go into a cold sweat		Nausea
	You have the feeling that things are moving around you		Tiredness
	Alterations to your body movement (it seems like your body won’t obey you)

Vomiting

Sometimes, when you get sick, you need to vomit. There are many things that can cause vomiting: for example, eating food that has gone off, or a problem of balance.

It is difficult to get rid of the need to be sick once it has set in. The best thing is to stay calm, avoid movement, take some fresh air and not eat or drink anything for a while. Then begin eating and drinking little by little, starting with small amounts of water.

How to avoid travel sickness

The most important thing is to avoid becoming travel sick, as once you need to vomit it is too late to do much.
So remember the following tips:

	Sit in places where there is less movement: in a car, sit in the passenger seat (if you are over 12 years old); on a coach, sit near the front; on a boat, in the middle; on an airplane, between the wings.
	If possible, lie face up and raise your legs. Using a head-rest to keep your head still also helps.
	Don’t read or play console games.
	Keep your eyes set above the horizon. Look at distant points and not at nearby objects.
	Avoid heat. Ventilation helps. Open car, train or coach windows slightly. On a boat, go out onto the deck.
	Don’t eat or drink too much in the hours before travelling. But don’t go completely without food or drink, either. If on a long car or coach journey, use breaks to walk, get some fresh air and eat and drink in small amounts.
	Noise, cold and tiredness are enemies that can help to make you feel sick: avoid them at all costs!
	Sitting on the booster seat raises us up a little, which is good.
	Playing is also a good diversion, but try to avoid games that involve looking at small objects. Word games are a useful form of entertainment.

As well as following all these tips to avoid travel sickness, some people also take medicine to prevent it. Your chemist can advise you.

 

Gloria Piera. Pharmacist