Table of contents:
- What causes motion sickness?
- Various natural motion sickness cures
- 1. Ginger
- 2. Peppermint
- 3. Eucalyptus oil
- 4. Tea
- 5. Accupressure
- 6. Deep breathing techniques
Motion sickness is one of the most common conditions when traveling using land, sea or air transportation. When you experience motion sickness, you will experience dizziness, weakness, cold sweat appearing, skin looks pale, and your stomach will feel nauseous and even vomit.
Although not a serious medical condition, motion sickness has profound psychological consequences during travel. Even people who often experience motion sickness often feel lazy to travel long distances because they are mentally afraid to feel motion sickness again.
But still, here are some effective motion sickness cures that you can prepare before traveling far, especially if you want to go home.
What causes motion sickness?
Motion sickness can be experienced when one part of the balance system (sensory nerves, eyes and inner ear) senses that our body is moving, but the other part is not. For example, when you go on a road trip, your eyes tell your brain that you are traveling at high speed, but your ears will feel when you are just sitting still. It is this conflict between the senses that causes motion sickness to occur.
In addition, the lack of oxygen and high levels of carbon dioxide in the vehicle, as well as poor vehicle suspension systems and road conditions will make your motion sickness worse. Because during the trip you are only in a stationary position and do not move much, your body will be forced to be exposed to the scent for a long time. Reflexively, your body will react to resist. This body reaction usually causes nausea and dizziness.
Various natural motion sickness cures
If you are one of the people who are prone to travel sickness, here are some natural motion sickness remedies that you can prepare before traveling.
1. Ginger
Ginger is one type of spice that can effectively relieve the effects of motion sickness. You can drink boiled ginger water with added honey or sugar one hour before traveling or bring boiled ginger water in a hot thermos to drink during the trip.
If you don't have time to make ginger water, you can cut the ginger into one or two slices wrapped in a paper towel. This ginger scent will provide a relaxing effect during your trip.
2. Peppermint
Chewing peppermint candy can actually help reduce nausea and headaches due to motion sickness. If you don't like the taste, you can try a drop of peppermint aromatherapy oil on your wrist or handkerchief, then inhale it whenever you feel nauseous and dizzy. This motion sickness cure is also suitable for toddlers.
3. Eucalyptus oil
Although not everyone likes the smell of eucalyptus oil because of its pungent aroma, this oil can be a powerful weapon to deal with attacks of nausea and dizziness. Apply eucalyptus oil to the neck, nape, chest, and stomach to make your body feel warmer and relaxed. If you don't like the smell of eucalyptus oil, you can replace it with other oils that are also able to warm the body.
4. Tea
Apart from ginger, another drink that can relieve nausea and dizziness during travel is tea. Prepare warm, low-sugar tea in a small thermos to calm your body and reduce feelings of fatigue during travel. In order to get more benefits, you can use chamomile tea and add mint leaves.
5. Accupressure
You can place 3 fingers under the crease of the wrist. Place your thumb just under the three fingers, in the middle, right between the two large tendon muscles. With your thumb, apply pressure to the spot and hold it for some time. Do this over and over again until you feel calm. This is an accupressure point for nausea and for some, it has been shown to be effective at reducing the symptoms associated with motion sickness.
6. Deep breathing techniques
Practice deep breathing techniques that will naturally soothe you from motion sickness symptoms. The trick, close your mouth and take a deep breath through your nose. Fill the lungs in a count of four. Then hold your breath for a count of seven. After that, exhale through your mouth for a count of eight. Repeat this breathing technique three times.