(ARA) - As spring weather warms our passion to come out of winter hibernation and hit the highways on a road trip, one health ailment can spoil the voyage -- car motion sickness. If you are buckled in to the car for a long ride, even the slightest and most common physical discomfort can be a sign of motion sickness.
“Motion sickness is the nauseated feeling some individuals experience when traveling by automobile,” says Sheryl Gerald, director of the medical assistant program at Brown Mackie College – South Bend. Symptoms of car motion sickness include various degrees of dizziness, fatigue, headaches, vomiting, upset stomach and vertigo.
According to Gerald, the cause of motion sickness is the abnormal movement of the canals in the inner ear, which help control balance. These canals are accustomed to traveling in a horizontal position; however, when there is vertical movement, or rapidly-changing sensations or visuals, motion sickness can occur.
“A good example that leads to the ill-effects of motion sickness is reading in a moving vehicle,” explains Karen Demosthene, chair of the allied health department at Brown Mackie College – Findlay in Ohio. “The inner ears and skin receptors detect you are moving forward. However, your eyes are looking at the book, which is a stationary object. Muscle receptors indicate that you are sitting still; as a result, this faulty coordination baffles your mind and causes motion sickness symptoms.”
“Also, a person with previous experience of motion sickness may have symptoms just from anxiety and anticipation of movement,” says Demosthene.
If you or somebody you know suffers from motion sickness, these tips from Gerald and Demosthene may help alleviate or even prevent the symptoms and make the car ride smooth and enjoyable.
* When in a moving vehicle, always sit facing forward and, if at all possible, request the front seat. This keeps the motion sensed by your eyes and ears the same.
* Use a headrest to minimize head movements, and crack a window to maintain proper ventilation.
* Look outside at objects that are far away. Do not focus on items out of the side window that pass by quickly, such as telephone poles.
* Distract your mind from thinking about your impending motion sickness, but remember not to read.
* Watch what you eat. Try to avoid bulky, greasy meals and overindulgence in alcoholic beverages if you are going on a long trip. Small, frequent meals are recommended for those prone to motion sickness.
* Make frequent stops for short walks in the fresh air.
Editor’s Note:
Brown Mackie College – South Bend and Brown Mackie College – Findlay are two of 16 school locations of the Brown Mackie College system of schools, which is dedicated to providing educational programs that prepare students for entry-level positions in a competitive, rapidly-changing workplace. Brown Mackie College schools offers associate’s degree, certificate, and diploma programs in health sciences, business, information technology, legal studies and design technologies to over 9,000 students as of fall 2006.
