Me, in motion

Carsickness is all in your head. Really, it is. Carsickness results in your inner ear not being able to tell that you are stable when you are in motion in a vehicle. This happens on planes, boats and anywhere else that moves for about 33% of the population. I am one of those people. I suffer from carsickness/motion sickness routinely. I have to fight my siblings and son on family outings for seats in the van that are less likely to produce these symptoms. I have to plead sometimes for less scenic "curvy" routes home in favor of straight shots on a boring free way. I have to have people stop the car so I can get out and breath. I have to make people ride with the windows down in the middle of winter so I can have cold air blowing on my face. Reading in the car? FORGET IT! On long trips I try to sleep and or keep my eyes closed to try to keep my brain oriented. One time, when we were at Disney World, after riding on one of their rides I became so dizzy with motion sickness I had to sit for about 20 minutes on the bench right outside of the ride and beg people to just "LEAVE ME ALONE" until it settled down. I often times get a horrible headache right after the motion sickness, which will usually last the remainder of the day. Needless to say, I am not a pleasant passenger to have along.

So what can be done to help combat these episodes? Here are some things I find helpful:

Try to be the driver, if you can. I rarely get motion sick when I'm driving (but it does happen). This works but for one thing, I hate driving when there are others available to do it for me. My dad also hates to be the passenger. So this is not always an option.

Eat in the car. Yes, it seems counter intuitive but for me the act of nibbling on something seems to help. A lot. Usually dry starchy things like crackers or pretzels are extremely helpful.

Drink something warm. Coffee for me or some ginger tea help. Again, it's the act of taking something into my stomach that seems to settle down the nausea that helps.

Don't ride on an empty stomach. Skipping breakfast then riding out on a long car trip, for me, are the WORST things I can do. I'm nauseated quickly when my stomach is empty and my blood sugar is down. I try to eat something light before I go then nibble some more while riding.

Don't try to read or knit or play video games or anything like that...EVER. If you're like me it takes just moments of looking down at something to become nauseated and once that starts, it's hard to go back!

Make sure your driver understands that you will not be a good "co-pilot". My mom will ask for things as we are driving a long. Some of them I can do, like handing her a drink or changing the air setting. Others, I can not. I can't dig to the bottom of her purse for change for the toll unless we are stopped at the booth, otherwise, the act of looking down will be my undoing. Talk to the people you are going with ahead of time and make them aware of this. Let somebody else do the kind of stuff  that involves looking down or backwards. (Minding the children in the back seat?)

Bring along some ginger. Candied ginger is a bit hot on the palate but it really does help. There is ginger gum that you can find in the pharmacy for morning sickness and cancer patients. It works, but it is expensive. Also you could brew up a cup of ginger tea or try some ginger capsules before you go. I don't have a lot of luck with ginger capsules but others do.

Mint is also very helpful for once the nausea has begun. Mint gum, mint tea or hard candies can help. Suck them slowly and keep your eyes closed if you can't stop immediately.

Breathing. Focus on breathing deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth. Crack down the window or blow the A/C right on you to get fresh air. Cold air for me is most helpful. Keep your eyes closed until the waves pass.

Put a cold cloth on your neck or over your eyes. This helps to draw the blood away from your stomach, where it rushes to "help" you're distressed system. It can also be helpful if, like me, you get a raging headache from motion sickness.

These are just some of the things I have found to be helpful. They may also work for other incidences of nausea like morning sickness. I know that there have been entire days ruined (for me) by becoming carsick at the start of the day and not having it go away even after the car is in motion, so for me "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."