Seasickness is a common problem that many people face. Even if you are an experienced sailor, you can still get seasick on long sea journeys. Despite thinking that you have a strong constitution, you can suddenly experience seasickness with nausea and dizziness. Seasickness is a discomfort caused by a balance problem in motion disorder. It is a common condition in rough waters and sea journeys.
What Is Seasickness?
Seasickness is the discomfort caused by the constant rocking on the sea. Seasickness is a type of motion sickness. It is common during sea travels. This condition has many different types such as car sickness, airplane sickness, and simulator sickness. The most common symptom of seasickness is vomiting and nausea, but other symptoms such as dizziness and headaches can also occur. The main problem with seasickness is the conflicting signals that go to our brain. Seasickness occurs when there are differences between the motion perception of the human’s vestibular system and movement perception. In other words, seasickness occurs when there are significant differences between the motion we perceive with our eyes and ears and our body experience.
How Do You Know if You Have Seasickness?
The main symptoms of seasickness are dizziness, nausea, headache, vomiting, high or low blood pressure, pressure around the stomach, and vomiting. Your brain slows down in sensing movements and begins to alert you. You may feel the ringing coming from your inner ear or experience dizziness, which makes you feel bad. This discomfort will make you dislike boats and the sea.
This situation happens to many people. Our brain uses three different nerve pathways to perceive our movements. These are the signals coming from the inner ear, the signals coming from deep tissues, and the signals that our eyes give. Since there is a rocking journey on a boat, and the brain feels these movements unconsciously, it cannot coordinate them, and therefore, seasickness occurs.
How Can We Prevent Seasickness?
There is no specific treatment method to prevent seasickness. Some people say that they get used to seasickness while traveling, while others cannot find a solution. So, what can we do to prevent seasickness?
Change Your Focus: If you feel constantly sick and stressed, focus on other things around you. For example, you can focus on the horizon. In this way, you can mislead your brain by focusing on one point. When you look forward, the distance between your inner ear and your eyes decreases, so your brain will feel the motion at a minimum level.
Pay Attention to Your Diet: Pay attention to what you eat and drink before getting on a ship, boat, or ferry. Because the food you eat can affect your journey. If you experience seasickness, you may need to consume preventive foods. For example, green apple is good for seasickness. Salty crackers will also suppress your stomach and reduce your nausea. You should definitely stay away from spicy and oily foods before the journey.
Pay Attention to Your Fluid Intake: Seasickness can cause dehydration and headaches. Therefore, you should consume water and non-acidic beverages while staying away from milk and coffee.
Try Vomiting: If nothing works, you need to vomit. Although vomiting is annoying, it can seriously relieve you. Do not forget to take into account the direction of the wind while vomiting. You don’t want to get into more trouble by splashing things on yourself while vomiting.