Motion sickness remedies

Healthylife Pharmacy20 December 2017|3 min read

If the thought of your next deep-sea adventure makes you feel queasy, there are some natural remedies that may help to relieve motion sickness. Sea sickness can certainly put a damper on your holiday fun, with symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and headache. 

Motion sickness is the unwell feeling you can get when moving on any type of transport, such as cars, aeroplanes, trains or boats. 

What are the symptoms of motion sickness?

  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Headache
  • Dizziness and drowsiness
  • Cold sweating
  • Lack of appetite
  • Dry mouth or excess saliva
  • Increased sensitivity to smell

What causes motion sickness?

Motion sickness is a physiological response typically triggered by motion. It is thought to be caused by a conflict between your vestibular and visual systems.  For example, if you are on a cruise ship, your muscles and coils of the inner ear sense the movement, but your line of sight might be blocked—this can cause poor communication in your vestibular system resulting in sea sickness.

Vestibular system

Sensory information about motion, balance and spatial orientation is provided by the vestibular system for the purpose of coordinating movement with balance. Balance is controlled through signals to your brain from your eyes, the inner ear, and the sensory systems of the body (such as skin, muscles, and joints).

Who can get motion sickness?

Some people are more prone to motion sickness than others, but it is more common in:

  • Children aged between 2-12 years
  • Women 
  • Pregnancy
  • People prone to migraines
  • People with labyrinthitis (a disorder of the inner ear)

How to relieve motion sickness naturally?

One strategy to prevent motion sickness is with behavioural techniques such as: 

  • Keeping the eyes fixed on a distant object
  • Tilting your head into turns (when in a car)
  • Lying down with your eyes closed
  • Keeping the head and body as still as possible by choosing a seat where motion if felt the least
  • Sitting forward in a reclining position
  • Getting fresh air

There are a number of medications that can be used to treat motion sickness, however, some may cause drowsiness, so it’s best to check the label. As an alternative, there are other home remedies for motion sickness that you can try to get relief.

Ginger 

Ginger is often used in traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine for the treatment of nausea. However, no current studies show its ability to relieve motion sickness. Ginger was effective in studies for treating nausea and vomiting in pregnancy. 

Peppermint oil

Studies have suggested inhaling peppermint oil may help reduce feelings of nausea and vomiting.  

Magnesium

The use of magnesium prior to travel has shown possible effectiveness in relieving motion sickness. However, the magnesium supplement was taken twice daily for three months. Always speak to your health practitioner before taking any medication.

Acupressure bands

A small study in healthy individuals with acupressure bands on the wrist and forearms had a reduction in symptoms of motion sickness. Acupressure bands are available commercially.

Related reads:

References

  1. Esposito M, et al. A Medical Food Formulation of Griffonia simplicifolia/Magnesium for Childhood Periodic Syndrome Therapy: An Open-Label Study on Motion Sickness. J Med Food. 2015 Aug;18(8):916-20 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25590358
  2. Pei Lin Lua and Noor Salihah Zakaria. A Brief Review of Current Scientific Evidence Involving Aromatherapy Use for Nausea and Vomiting. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.Jun 2012.534-540.http://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2010.0862 
  3. Firouzbakht M, Nikpour M, Jamali B, Omidvar S. Comparison of ginger with vitamin B6 in relieving nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. Ayu. 2014 Jul-Sep;35(3):289-93. doi: 10.4103/0974-8520.153746. PMID: 26664238; PMCID: PMC4649576. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4649576/ 
  4. Carlos Pereira Nunes, Claudio de Campos Rodrigues, Carlos Alfredo Franco Cardoso, Natasha Cytrynbaum, Renato Kaufman, Helio Rzetelna, Gerson Goldwasser, Alessandra Santos, Lisa Oliveira, Mauro Geller. Clinical Evaluation of the Use of Ginger Extract in the Preventive Management of Motion Sickness. Volume 92, 2020, 100591. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0011393X20300175 
  5. Brainard A, Gresham C. Prevention and treatment of motion sickness. Am Fam Physician. 2014 Jul 1;90(1):41-6. PMID: 25077501. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25077501/ 
  6. Motion Sickness. By Adedamola A. Ogunniyi , MD, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. Reviewed/Revised Apr 2023. https://www.msdmanuals.com/professional/injuries-poisoning/motion-sickness/motion-sickness
  7. Leung AK, Hon KL. Motion sickness: an overview. Drugs Context. 2019 Dec 13;8:2019-9-4. doi: 10.7573/dic.2019-9-4. PMID: 32158479; PMCID: PMC7048153. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7048153/#:~:text=Sine%20qua%20non%20for%20developing,vestibular%20apparatus%2C%20and%20proprioceptive%20receptors 
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