Holiday season is fast approaching. Your kids are all excited, thrilled, and making plans for the upcoming vacation. Your husband is busy making travel arrangements. But you are not delighted. The thought of travelling is making you sicker. The roads, the mountains, the sea, the horizon, the journey…it all reminds you of the motion sickness.
Kinetosis or motion sickness as it is commonly referred to as is a condition that affects people travelling by land, water or air. In this condition, looking at the stationary things inside the vehicle, the eyes inform the brain that you are not moving. But the inner ear senses the motion and sends signals to the brain that you are moving. The sensory confusion caused by these mixed signals in the brain leads to motion sickness. Symptoms include dizziness, headache, vomiting and nausea.
Read on to know about the home remedies which will help you prevent and overcome your motion sickness symptoms. Hope you have a wonderful time this holiday season!
Effective Home Remedies To Treat Motion Sickness
Ginger
Ginger works better than many of the motion sickness drugs. Prepare ginger tea by boiling few fresh pieces of ginger in water and straining them. Carry this ginger tea along with you while you travel in a thermos. Keep drinking at regular intervals.
For a quicker solution, take a fresh piece of ginger and finely dice it and swallow it as a whole. It is one of the effective and proven natural home remedies to control motion sickness.
Olives
Olives are an excellent way to fend off nausea while travelling. When your mouth starts filling with saliva you should know that the symptoms of motion sickness have started. The chemical compound present in olives called the tannins have the capacity to inhibit the saliva production and help in keeping the mouth dry. So as soon as you notice the early signs, have some olives.
Lemon
Lemon is also found to lessen the symptoms of motion sickness. The smell of lemon gives relief when you are suffering from nausea. Take a few slices of lemon along with you on your journey and keep inhaling the smell as well as keep sucking a slice. It surely helps you in keeping the motion sickness at bay.
Herbal Tea
Herbal tea is one of the natural ways to alleviate motion sickness symptoms. Instead of having caffeinated carbonated beverages which might cause headache and worsen the symptoms, have mild carbonated drinks. Lime soda, ginger ale or mint tea can help you deal with travel sickness symptoms.
Food
Never have a heavy meal before you start your journey. It is best to avoid spicy and oily food as they can upset your stomach. Keeping your stomach empty is also not advisable. Instead, keep munching some ginger biscuits, cookies or salty crackers before and during the journey. You can chew ginger candies and mints.
Avoid the smell of spicy and greasy foods. The strong odor can prompt motion sickness. Avoid alcohol before and during the journey as it can dehydrate your body and worsen the motion sickness.
Drink Water
A natural remedy to curb the instincts of motion sickness is to drink plenty of water. Start preparing your body for the upcoming journey by drinking more and more water so that your body builds up resistance to motion sickness. Lack of hydration might cause headaches and makes you feel ill.
Dehydration worsens nausea. In between bouts of vomiting keep sipping warm water. Try to keep your body hydrated as much as possible either by drinking water or mild fruit juices.
Fresh Mint
Fresh mint can also help you alleviate nausea. It doesn’t have any side effects as compared to the medicines. Start eating 2 leaves and if you feel comfortable with no drowsiness you can have more leaves.
Consuming peppermint either in the form of tea, candy or peppermint oil can prevent nausea to certain extent.
Apple Juice
Having fruit juice is a great idea, but avoid the juices which are highly acidic in nature like orange or grapefruit juice. Drinking a glass of apple juice, which is non-citrus and less acidic in nature, before the start of the journey settles your stomach. Well, it can keep your body hydrated too.
Ice Cubes
One of the simplest home remedies to control your motion sickness is to suck on an ice cube. Sucking the ice chips cools and calms your unsettled stomach and rids you off the queasy feeling.
Apart from these home remedies, your seating position also contributes majorly to motion sickness. So choose a seat where you can experience a smooth ride and where the motion is least likely to be felt.
Caution: Please use Remedies after Proper Research and Guidance. You accept that you are following any advice at your own risk and will properly research or consult healthcare professional.
