How to Get Rid of Motion Sickness Every Time
From sniffing peppermint to staring at the horizon, these tried-and-true tactics will help you cure your queasiness when on the move.
Illustrations by Jeannie Phan
For all of its upsides, traveling can sometimes make you seriously sick to your stomach. Motion sickness is caused by what Siena College psychology professor Max Levine calls a sensory mismatch, and sitting in the back of a car is where it tends to occur most. Whether you’re staring at the front seat or a book, “what you’re seeing isn’t moving, relative to you,” explains the associate dean of liberal arts. “So your vision is suggesting that you’re not moving at all, but every other sense in your body says yes, you are. And you get that mismatch.”
The result? Your brain gets confused, causing any or all of these unpleasant symptoms: nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and excessive warmth. But motion sickness isn’t something you have to stomach. To avoid it (or get rid of it), follow this works-every-time wisdom.
Never Travel on an Empty Stomach
It seems counterintuitive — you might think, If I’m potentially going to throw up, I’d better not have anything in my stomach — but Dr. Levine’s studies show that fasting before a trip actually does more harm than good. “If you give your stomach some work to do, it’s less likely to get screwed up by the sensory mismatch,” he says. Other pros agree. “You don’t want to be too full, but I’ve found that a light, healthy snack before a drive is good because it coats my stomach,” says Deb Corbeil, who runs the travel site The Planet D with her husband, Dave Bouskill. Your best bet is a protein-rich snack like crackers with cheese or peanut butter.
Chill Out
The best way to beat the ailment is to stabilize your body relative to its new source of movement, says Thomas Stoffregen, a motion sickness-prone University of Minnesota professor who is often at sea for research. If you’re on a ship, get up to the top deck and hold your gaze at the horizon, says Dr. Stoffregen.
If you’re in a car, sit in the front seat, stare at the horizon, and try to relax until your body adjusts. “If you’re in the back, looking at the seat in front of you, the eyes think you’re stationary, but your ear gives you the information that there’s constant movement. Then this whole motion sickness pathway starts,” explains Rizwan Sohail, director of the Mayo Clinic’s Travel and Tropical Medicine Clinic. (Getting a touch of cool, fresh air can also help, as can a cold compress on the neck.)
Traveling via plane? Opt for a seat over the wings, says Dr. Sohail. That area tends to be more stable and less vulnerable to sudden movements.
Spice Things Up
Ginger has long been considered the magic pill when it comes to combating nausea. While the science of why it works is unclear, studies have shown it can prevent and soothe an uneasy stomach. Try adding grated ginger to a calming tea, like chamomile, says Samantha Brody, a licensed naturopathic physician and author of Overcoming Overwhelm. Sucking on ginger candies is effective too — or, as Seattle marketing manager Amrutha Srinivas suggests, “You can curb nausea with tamarind chews. They always make me feel better.”
Distract Yourself
Keeping your mind off the movement can calm your stomach. In one of Dr. Levine’s recent studies, participants who did a meditative muscle relaxation exercise had a sharp reduction in symptoms — and other distractions, like listening to a podcast or audiobook, can work as well. Just don’t try reading a regular book or opening up your laptop; it will only amplify the symptoms. That’s because when you look at the page or a screen, you’re stabilizing your head relative to that object rather than the vehicle you’re in.
Get Fresh
Peppermint is another increasingly popular anti-nausea treatment, thanks to the menthol content, which helps relax muscle spasms in the colon, says Mariza Snyder, a wellness practitioner and author of The Essential Oil Hormone Solution. While a peppermint car diffuser can do the trick, her go-to method is to fill a 10-milligram roller bottle with 10 drops of peppermint oil, 10 drops of ginger oil, and a touch of grapeseed oil, which dilutes the essential oils and ensures they’re absorbed into the skin. Any time she’s feeling sick, she’ll dab it on her palms and breathe in deeply or apply it topically, targeting the affected area near the belly button.
Go with the Band
There’s a reason motion sickness bands are commonly worn by cruise ship passengers. The nub inside the bracelet sits right on top of an acupuncture point called Pericardium 6 that, when pressed, can relieve nausea. They’re a must-have for Michigan photographer Kari Dawson whenever she sets sail. “Once I get sick, I can’t get it to go away, so I always put them on the day before I travel,” she says.
Medicine Might Be the Best Medicine
For most people with chronic motion sickness, an antihistamine like Bonine or Dramamine will work by blocking the signals between your body’s balance center and the part of the brain that controls nausea. (Corbeil pops a version a half-hour before hopping into the passenger seat.) If you don’t have luck with that, your case may be more extreme, but not to worry: A doctor can prescribe a scopolamine patch, a stronger remedy that also blocks those signals to the brain.
About the author: Sarah Grossbart is a Michigan-born, New York-based writer-editor who has written for Us Weekly, E! News, HGTV Magazine, Real Simple, Martha Stewart Weddings, and Glamour. When she’s not busy running or yelling at a Michigan State basketball game, she can usually be found watching bad reality TV.
