An estimated 173 million passengers are expected to catch a flight during the months of March and April, according to the trade association Airlines of America. Of those, one in every three are considered highly susceptible to motion sickness.
Nausea and other motion-related symptoms can keep some people grounded when making travel plans, and while there are no cures or long-term therapies for motion sickness, relief is possible.
Dr. Bushra Siddiqui, a primary care physician at Mercy Lorain, advised travelers to take preventative measures to minimize motion sickness symptoms ahead of their trip.
"So something you do before the trip, like 12 hours before the trip, that's when you put the (scopolamine) patch behind the ear, or 30 minutes before the flight, you take a Dramamine," Siddiqui said.
Over-the-counter scopolamine patches create a calming effect on the muscles in the stomach and bowels. Dramamine, or dimenhydrinate, is an antihistamine medication that helps the body maintain its sense of balance.
Siddiqui also recommended laying down, avoiding reading or looking at screens, and sucking on ginger hard candy to combat motion sickness symptoms. She also validated the common belief that staring at the horizon can quell motion sickness.
"That definitely is true because it kind of solidifies in your mind like, 'Yes, I'm moving, but let me look at a point in the distance that's not moving,' so that you can reinforce that signal [that you're] not moving," she said.
Location can also make a difference. Siddiqui said car travelers should sit in the front seat, while bus or train passengers should sit facing forward.
"And then if you are sitting in a boat, it's better to sit in the lower deck, mid-ship. Usually you feel less movement there," Siddiqui added. "And in the plane, you want to sit in the front edge of the wing."
What causes motion sickness?
The brain processes movement by gathering different information from different inputs — the inner ear, vision and somatosensory cue, like body hair, Siddiqui said. The combination of those three inputs is how the brain processes movement and spatial orientation.
"When all those three are giving congruent information, the body is sensed to stability, and then you're able to process movement appropriately," Siddiqui said.
But if the brain's input receives incongruent information, it can experience sensory conflict, which triggers motion sickness and its symptoms.
"Let's say someone's going on a cruise. Visually, the body is stationary, and your eyes can see that you're not moving," she said.
But the vestibular system, or the inner ear, senses the motion of the boat.
"So now you have two different pieces of information coming into the brain, one from the eyes that you are not moving and one from the ears that you are moving," Siddiqui said.
Siddiqui said studies have shown that women, especially if pregnant or using contraceptives, are more likely to experience motion sickness.
"Migraine sufferers are also some people who might be more prone to motion sickness," she added.
Dizziness on dry land
Some people may feel like they're still on a cruise ship days after they've disembarked. This sensation of rocking or swaying is sometimes called "land sickness" or "Mal de Débarquement Syndrome," according to Cleveland Clinic.
The condition is rare, Siddiqui said, and should resolve itself within 24 hours, though some cases linger for months or years.
"Essentially what's happening is your body has adjusted to the motion, and when you get off, it takes you time to readapt to not moving," she said. "It usually happens more with sea travel compared with other types of travel."
There aren't many measures to minimize land sickness, but Siddiqui recommended avoiding alcohol consumption before the trip, and ensuring adequate sleep and hydration.
