Travel has been shown to have many benefits to your physical and mental wellbeing but if you’ve ever experienced travel sickness on your long trips, then you know it isn’t without risks. Luckily, you don’t have to let it destroy your travel adventure – you can take measures to manage the condition before it kicks in and eliminate it for good.
What is Travel Sickness?
The condition starts with a slight feeling of nausea when you are travelling in a bus, car, train, boat or plane. If you don’t combat it when it starts, it will progress, and you may begin sweating – this is often accompanied by stomach upsets. Eventually, you are likely to feel dizzy and sick, which can result in dehydration and complete despair. This isn’t what you want to experience during your long travel trips. You certainly don’t want to arrive at your destination feeling broken and upset.
Studies have shown genetics to be a major factor in your likelihood to suffer from motion sickness, however, you can still use numerous methods to manage the condition while you’re on the move.
Tips for Managing The Condition
Take control of the situation
You can take control by keeping nausea and dizziness at bay. If you are travelling as a passenger, try to get the front seat and stare into the horizon. This is a great way to confer a sense of control rather than riding in the back seats. However, if the only option is to sit in the back seat, then try to strike up a conversation. The goal is to get distracted and to keep away the anxieties of not having control of the situation. Get plenty of fresh air too if possible.
Limit Your Consumption
If you are prone to travel-related discomforts, it is important to go slow on drinks, food, and alcohol before and during long trips. Avoid foods that make you feel abnormally full. Foods or drinks with strong odours, spicy treats, and heavy foods may also escalate the sickness in some people.
Get Desensitized
Desensitization is a therapy that is responsible for reducing or even eliminating travel sickness. You can do this by exposing yourself to short bursts of actions and activities that cause the symptoms. Start small and work up to more extended periods. If you find reading a book in a moving car results in a feeling of nausea, try reading the book for about five minutes and then putting it down. Repeat this several times before increasing the interval period to ten minutes. You will find yourself getting used to this or any other activity after some time.
Pre-treat with Ginger
According to some studies, ginger is an effective preventive measure of travel-related sickness. About half an hour before travelling, take approximately two grams of ginger for best results. If you are on prescription blood solvents, however, consult your physician before using ginger.
Talk Yourself Down
Some people can manage the condition by talking themselves out of it. You can set expectations before you start travelling by saying them aloud. For instance, you can promise that you won’t get sick. You can also learn different breathing techniques by utilizing biofeedback.
Medicate it
If you are experiencing recurrent travel sickness, you can opt to medicate it with Dramamine or Meclizine. These drugs are effective when taken at about half an hour or one hour before travelling. If you are a healthy adult who still experiences severe symptoms, you need to consult your health care provider. He or she will give you a scopolamine patch to manage the recurrent episodes of the sickness, especially in the first days of travel. The patch, however, can make your mouth dry and cause drowsiness among other side effects.
Instead of suffering whenever you are on a trip, try managing your condition with the above simple tips. If your condition persists, however, seek the help of a health care provider.
