How to Battle Motion Sickness: 10 Simple Tricks and Remedies

Motion sickness is something that has troubled most of us. While some may get over the feeling with time, others may continue to battle the woes of motion sickness throughout their life. "Motion sickness can be linked to the sinuses and the body's ability to make sense of the movement outside and the stationary state of the body inside the vehicle," notes Dr. Rupali Datta, Chief Clinical Nutritionist, Fortis Escorts, Delhi. Simply put, motion sickness is nothing but the body's inability to comprehend and balance various responses. Many people suffer from this condition if they ride on a roller coaster or other similar amusement park rides. Motion sickness progresses from a feeling of uneasiness to sweating and/or dizziness. This is usually quickly followed by nausea and/or vomiting. While traveling the balance-sensing response of the body gets disturbed which may trigger a host of symptoms, making it an extremely uncomfortable travel experience.
 

Some of the commonly experienced symptoms of motion sickness may include:

- Nausea

- Vomiting

- Excessive sweating

- Headache

- Restlessness(Also Read: 6 Ginger Powder Benefits)

Tips to battle motion sickness

In many cases a full stomach and excessive heat may worsen the symptoms of motion sickness. Avoiding alcohol and a heavy meal right before starting your journey may help. Spicy food items or strong odours may also increase the feeling of sickness. If you're traveling by car, take short breaks, get out and get some fresh air. If the weather permits, roll down the window. No matter what your mode of travel is, sitting near the window or getting some fresh air will certainly help.

Natural ways to combat motion sickness

Ayurveda expert Dr. Dhanvantri Tyagi describes motion sickness as a psychosomatic response. "Distracting your mind and tricking it into believing that the body is also at motion (or vice versa) will certainly help," he noted. Usually an excess of pitta in body may also lead to motion sickness, "but checking this increase of pitta won't really help in taming motion sickness," shared Dr. Dhanvantri.
 

Some of the common remedies and tricks that can be used to tackle motion sickness naturally are listed below.

1. Chewing on whole green cardamoms may help.

2. If you had a heavy meal before traveling, keep a mix of saunf and mishri handy and chew on it in small quantities for better digestion.

3. Mulethi is great for motion sickness. Take a very small piece and keep sucking on it.

4. Fizzy drinks may help. Keeping your system well hydrated will also aid in battling motion sickness. Ginger ale, coconut water and fresh seasonal juices are great options.

5. Load up on citrus fruits.

6. In case you are traveling in the mountains, space out your meals and eat light.

7. Take some ajwain (carom seeds) and keep it your mouth for a while. Chew and finish off with some water.8. "I personally keep tamarind candies handy whenever I am traveling by road for long hours. It helps in keeping nausea at bay and also keeps my mind distracted," shares Dr. Datta.

9. Caffeine may trigger motion sickness in some people, so it is best to avoid or limit your intake.

10. Ginger is excellent to tackle motion sickness. Keep ginger candies, sip on ginger ale or message your head with a few drops of pure ginger oil.

11. Sniffing lavender and peppermint mint scents may also help.

Motion sickness is quite a common problem but it can easily be tamed. If you know of any natural remedies that have worked for you, do share with us.