Nip That Airsickness in the Bud
If you’ve ever had motion sickness, you’re doubtless reading this article hoping to avoid ever having it again! You’re not alone. You can even find motion sickness in the Bible in the form of “camel sickness” (camel riders experience nausea due to the moderate swaying).
With the advent of technology, motion sickness has evolved into many forms such as seasickness, car sickness, space motion sickness, and airsickness. We’re going more places, faster, and finding wonderful new ways to make ourselves sick over it.
Airsickness is the feeling of nausea triggered by the motion of the aircraft, particularly as it escalates to higher altitudes, or goes through turbulence. I’ve also experienced airsickness when a landing takes a long, bumpy time and even worse, when the plane has to go around a few times before landing. Some of the common signs of airsickness are nausea, stomach awareness, loss of appetite, vertigo, burping, and increased swallowing and salivation.
Technically speaking, airsickness is caused by the disparity between what people see with their eyes and the data that they get from the “vestibular organs” of the ears — or what they see vs. what they feel. From what you see inside the plane, you’re standing still, but your inner ear knows that you’re moving, and this disconnect between the two causes the motion sickness.
Amazingly, 29% of aircraft pilots experience airsickness, and it’s their number one concern because it makes it difficult for them to do their jobs. There are some tips pilots and travelers alike use to avoid airsickness. These may help you as well.
1. Consider Dramamine.
Ask your doctor whether taking Dramamine might help with your airsickness.
2. Eat light before traveling.
Large meals, especially those that have high salt content, are suspected of contributing to airsickness.
3. Avoid stress and anxiety.
Studies show that two of the common causes of airsickness are stress and anxiety, because the body has more difficulty coping with the sudden change of environment when it’s already under stress.
4. Deal with it.
Accept that you’re flying and you might feel nauseous. Worrying about it will only cause anxiety, which may make you more likely to be airsick (see #3 above).
5. Take a deep breath.
Taking it one step further, if you’re actually hit with airsickness, you’re likely to start feeling anxious, particularly if you think you might actually throw up. Now is a good time to use some stress-reducing techniques. Close your eyes, lean your head back, take deep breaths. If you know how to meditate, that can be very helpful in relaxing your body as well as your mind.
6. Stay in your seat.
The motion of the plane is causing your airsickness. Moving around inside the plane just adds another layer of motion, which can only make the situation worse.
7. To read or not to read.
When I read in the car, I get carsick. But when I read on the plane, I don’t (necessarily) get airsick. Be aware that reading might contribute to your airsickness, and pay attention to how your body reacts when you read on the plane.
8. Order ginger ale.
Ginger ale is a “folk remedy” for nausea. If you’re worried about airsickness, ask for ginger ale when the drink cart comes around.
9. Turn on the air.
For some people, having cold air blowing on their face can help. I have two theories for why that might be: 1) it helps your brain feel like it’s moving (especially if you close your eyes), which brings your imbalance of see vs. feel back into balance. 2) When you’re body is nauseous and getting ready to throw up, you get hot and start to sweat — the cold air feels really good at that point, and can help to counteract the process.
Airsickness can feel really awful when you’re in the middle of it. Hopefully these tips will help you avoid having to go through it.
————-
Kit loves to fly, and hopes to make your airplane travel more enjoyable. Read more of her articles at http://www.fun-travel-blog.com/.
————-
Popularity: 3% [?]
Posted in Air TravelYou might also be interested in these posts:
No related posts
