Travel Sickness

Women are more susceptible to travel sickness than men.

In this article:

What is travel sickness?

Effect on your life

Advice & Support

Symptoms

Treatment

Causes

How Chemist Online can help

What is travel sickness?
Travel sickness (or motion sickness) occurs when your vestibular system (your inner ear which controls balance and general orientation by keeping track of your head, eyes and body movements), is in conflict with what your eyes actually see.

When travelling, your vestibular system becomes confused because what it senses does not accurately correspond with what the eyes see. Feelings of nausea and other symptoms are your body’s way of reacting to your brain’s confusion.

Symptoms
Symptoms of travel sickness can include:

nausea

vomiting

upper abdominal discomfort

headache

dizziness

sweating

paleness

drowsiness or fatigue, and

hyperventilation

Causes
Travel sickness can be triggered by:

motion (during road, rail, sea and air travel)

smells (e.g., sweets, fried food, petrol or aerosol usage)

anxiety

reading (e.g., focusing on a map)

games (puzzles given to a child during a car journey can mean they are sitting with their head bent down towards their lap. This can create a feeling of queasiness)

computer games which are too fast-paced and over-stimulating

poor ventilation

sudden driving actions, such as: taking a bend in the road too quickly, stopping abruptly and/or repeated accelerating, etc.

travelling long distances without stopping for a break throughout the trip

travelling with someone who is smoking

eating large meals or drinking alcohol prior to travelling

being pregnant, and

aA repressed memory of a bad experience when travelling, such as a car crash, for example, which is uprooted through travelling again in the same location, leading to sudden emotional trauma

Effect on your life
Although for most people travel sickness can be avoided (see Treatment section below), in severe cases some people avoid travelling altogether. This is obviously extremely restricting. If you suffer from travel sickness to this degree, make an appointment with your GP. After taking your medical history, he or she will ask you some questions about your symptoms and may even carry out a physical examination (to rule out possible physiological causes). Your GP may then prescribe one or more of the following treatments.

Treatment
Prescribed medicines for travel sickness include:

Hyoscine tablets which block confusing signals from the vestibular system (note: hyoscine can also be prescribed as skin patches), and

Prescribed antihistamines, such as cinnarizine and cyclizine which, although effective, may cause drowsiness and so should not be taken if driving

Alternative treatments for travel sickness can include:

herbal remedies, such as ginger and black horehound

acupressure – pressure applied to the area where the wrist joins the hand

acupuncture – to specific points in the body

Note: If travelling with pets, avoid feeding them for at least an hour before travelling, always provide adequate ventilation, and allow for hourly breaks during your trip.

How Chemist Online can help
Through this website we have a range of treatments available to buy that can help relieve the symptoms of travel sickness, such as Nelsons Travella which contains a selection of homeopathic remedies specifically combined to bring soothing relief for the unpleasant symptoms associated with travel sickness. We also have Sea-Band Motion Sickness Wrist Bands For Adults (acupressure bands – designed to put pressure on the wrist – which have been clinically tested against nausea and vomiting during travelling).



www.chemistonline.co.uk


Advice & Support
For advice on travel health when travelling abroad, please go to: the UK Government website


This information and advice is not intended to replace the advice of your GP or chemist. Chemist Online is also not responsible or liable for any diagnosis made by a user based upon the content of the Chemist Online website. Chemist Online is also not liable for the contents of any external internet sites listed, nor does it endorse any commercial product or service mentioned or advised on any of the sites.


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