Keeping your eyes on the horizon can help overcome seasickness. Picture: Alamy
IT CAN range from feeling a little bit off colour to being completely debilitated and unable to leave the safety of a ship’s bathroom.
While some people remain unscathed by seasickness even in the roughest of waves, others are hit hard by the slightest swell. So what can you do to prevent and treat motion sickness at sea?
GO ALL NATURAL
Ginger, green apples, crackers and acupressure bands for your wrists are all tricks some people swear by, and a number of cruise ships offer green apples and crackers on their room service menu.
The Travel Doctor TMVC’s national medical director Dr Natalie Gray says while there is not a lot of documented evidence of the effectiveness of natural remedies, ginger is the exception and has been proven in studies.
“Ginger is a very powerful anti nausea, and is often recommended for morning sickness. Some people find ginger lollies, ginger beer and ginger chocolate to be quite helpful.”
Gray says while ginger tends to help those who suffer from mild seasickness rather than severe cases, natural remedies are worth a try unless you already know you’re going to need something stronger.
TAKE YOUR MEDICINE
Medication can be extremely effective, but there are two very important things to be aware of. Firstly, you need to plan ahead. “For them to work optimally you need to take them beforehand,” Gray says. “Ideally you would take them hours before, for example the evening before if you were going on a boat in the morning.”
Secondly, you should do a test run as a lot of these medications have a sedative effect. While being a little drowsy may be preferable to feeling sick, some people are so badly affected they find it extremely difficult to stay awake after taking anti motion sickness medications.
“I would always recommend somebody trial them first at a time when it doesn’t matter if you get tired, just to see how you’re going to respond.” Gray says. “They definitely work, but sometimes the downside is you can’t stay awake so if you’re whale watching it’s not ideal.”
Drake Passage is notorius for rough seas. Picture: iStockSource:Supplied
KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE HORIZON
Seasickness is caused by a discrepancy between what your eyes and inner ear are telling your body, which is why watching the horizon can help.
“Because it’s a fixed point you can readjust what your body is feeling and what your eyes are seeing.”
However, Gray warns that while some people are able to re-establish the balance and feel fine afterwards, others have to keep watching the horizon or may feel so sick they can’t concentrate on it in the first place.
Unless you’re about to cross the notorious Drake Passage or know you’ll be in rough seas, Gray says if you don’t know if you suffer from seasickness the best thing to do is try some of the natural remedies first. But there’s no shame in seeing the ship’s doctor or having some medication on standby.
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