Although it carries no serious symptoms, air sickness can be quite an annoying occurrence, especially during longer flights. Nobody wants to go through dizziness, nausea, chills and vomiting on their dream flight.
Fortunately, there are many ways you can reduce the chances of any discomfort.
Causes and Symptoms of Motion Sickness on Planes
Air sickness occurs due to different movement interpretations of various body organs. The inner ear and eyes send conflicting information to your brain and cause it to raise alarm signals. But how does this happen?
Well, the human eye sees a fairly stationary environment and lack of movement even when the plane takes off. However, the inner ear – which contains the vestibular, a human balance mechanism – notices the oscillations and a change in the position of our body in relation to gravity. Therefore, these two opposing signals confuse your brain, creating the feeling of nausea and sickness.
There are many symptoms of air sickness, including:
- Nausea
- Sweating
- Headache
- Disorientation
- Loss of balance
- Fatigue
Even though every person is susceptible to these symptoms, some groups are more vulnerable. New pilots, first-time passengers, children and older people are at a higher risk of experiencing air sickness. Avoiding certain activities before and during the flight could prove helpful.
Remedies and Preventive Methods
Surprisingly, even some of the most basic activities can induce the nauseating feeling.
The night before your flight, you should focus on:
- Having a well balanced meal. Eat some bland food without spices or strong flavouring. Never fly on an empty stomach, but be careful not to overeat.
- Drink a lot of water. Chamomile tea and ginger ale could also help soothe your stomach. Avoid sodas and drinks high in sugar.
On the day of the flight:
- Pick the right seats. Those closer to the wings and around the middle are going to be more stable than the front row seats.
- Avoid reading. Constantly moving your eyes from word to word can make the situation even worse. Instead, try to look out of the window and focus your sight on the horizon.
- Turn up the air vents. Getting in that extra oxygen can make all the difference, especially when you’re in a cramped airplane seat.
You can contact us by calling 1300 SEASICK or order your travel sickness treatment online here.
