Travel sickness – what to do?

Who doesn’t know that queasy feeling in the stomach on winding car and bus journeys or turbulence on a plane. It is manifested by dizziness,  nausea  or even vomiting. Many people who travel by car, bus, plane or ship suffer from motion sickness.

What is the reason?

The reason is the effect of various acceleration forces that do not correspond to visual perception. The human brain cannot coordinate the different stimulus signals from the eye and the vestibular system.

Prevention tips:

• Always look in the direction of travel, fixing one point
• Do not read while driving, not even road maps
• Relaxation: The greater the inner restlessness, the faster motion sickness can set in. So try to be as relaxed as possible. In appropriate courses you can learn various relaxation techniques that can help you in this case.
• Clothing: Clothing should be comfortable and should not be constricting.
• Diet: Since an empty stomach is much more prone to motion sickness, you should not start your trip on an empty stomach. It is better to have a small, light meal that is not heavy on the stomach.
• Sleep: Go on a long journey rested. If you are already  tired before  you start your journey, you can get travel sick more easily.

Help from the pharmacy

Your pharmacy will provide you with medicines to help you with travel sickness.

• Antihistamines : These drugs help against  allergies  and also work on motion sickness. They are available without a prescription. Preparations with the active ingredient dimenhydrinate help very well, but should be taken half an hour to an hour before the start of the journey. Its effects last 3-6 hours. Attention: these antihistamines can make you tired, so drivers should avoid them.
• Ginger  – Capsules: The extract from ginger is also effective against travel sickness. In contrast to antihistamines, this does not make you tired.
• Scopolamine: Plasters with the active ingredient scopolamine are particularly suitable for trips lasting several days. They must be prescribed by the doctor.

General information on the first-aid kit

• Take a sufficient quantity of the medication you need to take regularly with you.
• Always take your first-aid kit and medicines with you in your hand luggage!
• Store the first-aid kit as cool as possible and avoid direct sunlight.
• Always keep medicines safe from children.
• Check the first-aid kit for expired medicines before you travel.