Summertime is in full swing! Camping trips, vacations, and visiting family means more time on the road. Prepare your little ones (and yourself) for something that affects 59% of children worldwide – carsickness. It’s hard enough keeping the kids entertained during a long drive, let’s learn how to keep them comfortable, too.
Making sense of motion sickness
So why exactly do we get carsick in the first place? The short answer is: your brain is confused. The car (or plane, or boat, or rollercoaster) is moving, but technically, you’re sitting still.
That confusion triggers the area postrem (the part of our brain that triggers vomiting). It can also cause nausea, irritability, headache, and cold sweats. Carsickness tends to affect children ages 2 – 12, since their balance and vestibular system is still developing. Though adults seem to experience less severe symptoms, there are still 46% worldwide who never grow out of it. While there’s no cure, there are many simple and effective ways to prevent it.
How to curb carsickness
The symptoms that come with casickness can feel downright uncomfortable. But luckily, there are ways to make sure “Are we there yet?” doesn’t turn into “I don’t feel so good!”
Take a seat
The worst place for wooziness is the back seat (sorry, kids). If someone in your family is especially prone to highway heaves, let them sit in the front passenger seat (if they’re old enough to do so). The closer they are to the front of the vehicle, the less motion they’ll experience.
Eyes on the road
Drivers aren’t likely to experience carsickness because they’re focusing on the road and can anticipate every movement. They are facing the horizon in the direction the vehicle is going which gives the brain more visual cues and keeps that brain-to-body connection balanced. So try to keep the kids off the screens and engaged with their surroundings by playing a game of ‘I Spy’ or having a road trip scavenger hunt. Bonus tip: the more boring, the better! A sleeping child doesn’t experience carsickness at all.
Fresh air
When nausea kicks in, that’s your hypothalamus trying to heat things up. It controls body temperature, heart rate, and hunger. Open the windows for some fresh air or crank the A/C to cool things down. It will help with the nausea.
Take a break
Pre-plan for some stops along the way. Stretching your legs or even lying on the grass helps ground your body and brain. Many road trip destinations have some great lookout points or tourist attractions along the way, so preventing carsickness is a good excuse to make the journey part of your adventure!
DIY acupressure
Using the thumb from one hand, firmly press on the inside of the other wrist, about three fingers down from the wrist crease. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, that magical spot is called “nei guan” (nay-gwann) . It’s a fan-favourite pressure point for relieving nausea and easy to do when you don’t have other options. If your child isn’t quite old enough to grasp this technique independently, there are also affordable anti-nausea wristbands available at most pharmacies and online that apply gentle, hands-free pressure.
Keep it natural
Ginger and chamomile have tons of research supporting their positive effects on nausea. Keep some ginger candies in the console, or pack ginger ale for the trip! If you don’t want them having all the sugar, you can make your own with fresh ginger, honey, and water – and add in some soda water to make it more like pop. You could even throw in a sachet of chamomile tea for some extra relief.
Don’t start off your holiday with a bout of motion sickness – symptoms can sometimes last for days and ruin the whole trip. Be prepared for carsickness to make the most of your summer!
Sources:
Motion Sickness
Centre for Disease Control, Motion Sickness
Acupressure for Nausea and Vomiting
Vomiting Mechanism
Motion Sickness: Best Fixes if Travelling Makes You Ill
Why Does Cold Fresh Air Help Nausea Go Away?
The 8 Extraordinary Vessels – Yin Wei & Yang Wei
It’s All In The Wrist – Introducing You to PC-6
Homemade Ginger Syrup
