Treat Seasickness

Seasickness is motion sickness that happens when on the water. The inner ear becomes unbalanced due to the rocking motion of a boat or ship. Seasickness begins with a cold sweat, is followed by an upset stomach with fatigue, and ends in nausea and vomiting.[1] Fortunately, there are many ways to treat seasickness.

Steps

Trying Over-The-Counter or Medical Strategies

  1. Try ginger. Ginger is a natural remedy for nausea, though it may not work for everyone.[2] It is available in "natural" anti-nausea supplements that you can purchase over-the-counter.[2] If you are already on the boat and do not have any of these supplements with you, you can look for food with ginger in it such as ginger cookies, or drink ginger-ale.
    • Taking small and frequent sips of ginger-ale may help to alleviate nausea and, generally speaking, it is easier for your stomach to tolerate than food is when you are feeling nauseated or sea sick.
    • Note that the ginger must be real ginger (in a drink or in food), and not just artificial ginger flavoring.
    • Talk to your doctor before taking ginger, especially if you are taking blood thinners or have a heart condition.[2]
  2. Ask your doctor about the Scopolamine Transdermal Patch. This is an anti-nausea patch that is placed directly on your skin behind your ear, and it absorbs through your skin into your bloodstream. It is available over-the-counter at your local pharmacy or drugstore.[3]
    • Because it is a slow-release patch, it takes approximately 4 hours to kick in. Therefore, apply it well in advance of your trip to prevent seasickness!
    • The good news about the patch is that it is long-lasting, and can be effective for up to three days.[3]
  3. Purchase an over-the-counter medication. Something like Dimenhydrinate (Gravol or Dramamine) is very helpful in preventing nausea. You can get this at any pharmacy or drug store. The downside to this, however, is that it is a sedative as well, meaning it can cause you to become drowsy. However, this makes it an excellent option for before bed as it can help you to fall asleep more quickly as well as combatting nausea.[4]
    • If you know you are prone to nausea and seasickness, speak to your doctor prior to your trip or boat excursion and he or she may be able to give you stronger prescription medications or additional strategies for combating the nausea.

Trying Preventative Strategies

  1. Stay close to the middle of the vessel. The middle has less motion than the bow and stern. Find a place to sit and relax in the middle of the cruise ship deck and take some deep breaths of fresh air.[5]
  2. Look at the horizon. The stationary horizon will always appear still and in the same place. Your brain will recognize the stillness and send clues to your inner ear. Your inner ear then regains its balance and the seasick feeling subsides.[1]
  3. Eat carbohydrates and avoid spicy foods.[5] The food on a cruise ship might be tempting, but you should avoid heavy, fatty, or spicy foods.[2] Snack on carb-heavy foods, like crackers.
    • Stay away from alcoholic or caffeinated drinks and substitute water or decaf tea.
    • Adding lemon to your water may help alleviate symptoms. Allow yourself to really smell the lemon — you can even suck on a lemon wedge if you can stand the sourness![6]
  4. Avoid thinking about feeling seasick.[5] Keeping your mind occupied on anything other than the nausea and sweating can help reduce the seasick feeling. Staying active, or as active as you feel up to, can also help to keep you from dwelling on how you feel.
    • If there is a treadmill on the boat, however, this can actually make your nausea and feeling of seasickness worse. This is because running on a treadmill while the ship is moving increases the motion and instability of things around you.
    • In terms of staying active, then, if your seasickness is only mild it can help to distract yourself with activities such as shopping, walking, or talking with others.
  5. Steer the boat.[5] While this is not possible on a cruise ship, it is possible if you are out on a boat with friends or family. Steering the boat will help you concentrate on something other than feeling sick, it will force you to look at the horizon and it allows you to anticipate the movement of the boat, giving your body ample time to prepare its response.



Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 http://www.mayoclinic.org/first-aid/first-aid-motion-sickness/basics/art-20056697
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/condition/motion-sickness
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/meds/a682509.html
  4. ↑ http://chealth.canoe.com/drug_info_details.asp?brand_name_id=1805
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/ear-infection/tc/motion-sickness-topic-overview
  6. ↑ http://www.motion-sickness-guru.com/basic-dos-and-donts.html

You may like

Retrieved from "https://kipkis.com/index.php?title=Treat_Seasickness&oldid=364210"