Though there are a lucky few out there who have never had the displeasure of experiencing it, seasickness is a very common and very annoying issue among those who enjoy hitting the waves. Even if you love being at sea and experience no fear from boating, your body could completely betray you and decide that it doesn’t like being on the water. About one in three people will experience seasickness, which may be more than you would first think.
For such a common issue, you would have thought that there would be a miracle solution. However, this is unfortunately, not the case. As humans, we have been taking to the ocean via boat for thousands of years, in fact, the ocean was and remains to be the most used trade route that we have. Because of this, over the last thousands of years, people have encountered handy tips and methods that can help you overcome the feeling of seasickness. Overcoming this seasickness is often referred to as gaining your sea legs, but what really causes seasickness, and how can you prevent it?
What causes seasickness?
There is actually a very quick explanation for why you may experience seasickness. You are much more likely to experience seasickness if you are susceptible to general motion sickness. It is all caused by a conflict in the inner ear. Though you may not expect your ear to be the cause of your sickness, it is easy to understand why this occurs. You may know that a human’s balance mechanism actually resides inside the ear. The sickness happens due to the erratic movement in a vessel located within the ear. If you are in a boat, then you are likely to bob around substantially. However, when you are in a boat, your eyes aren’t exactly registering the erratic movement as you are situated inside a vehicle, which can confuse the brain and cause stress, leading to more sickness.
Seasickness is only amplified by your surrounding environment. Unless you are someone that spends a lot of time in the ocean, the vast and empty landscape could be extremely stressful. This is especially the case if you are already feeling sick, as seeing no potential location for comfort could make you feel worse. Though you may think it’s a misconception, the ocean can actually have quite a strong fishy scent to it. Obviously, this is the last thing that you will want to smell when you are already feeling sick.
More likely than not, you are only going to be heading out onto the water on a hot day. This only adds another problem, which is sun exposure. If you are out on a scuba expedition and you have decided to go to one of the cheap places to learn scuba diving, it is likely that you will be sent out on a standard boat with little cover. This means you will be exposed to a lot of suns, making you feel a lot worse.
How can you combat seasickness?
Getting your sea legs
One of the best ways that you can get your sea legs is by working on the movement of your head. You can practice this even before the boat starts moving forward. There are some very easy techniques that you can follow in order to gain your sea legs. Focus on keeping your head upright and unmoving, you may worry about looking odd by doing this, but it will be extremely beneficial in the long run. Doing this will prevent movement in the semicircular canals, which will prevent you from feeling nausea.
A lot of people who have had experience in the waters actually recommend that you try and mimic the wave-like motion of the sea by bending your legs. This is because bending your legs can create a greater center of gravity, which keeps the upper torso stable against the motion of the ocean. The more time that you spend on a boat, the faster your body will adjust to the feeling of the motion.
How to deal with seasickness
Sometimes seasickness is something that is completely unavoidable. This can be off-putting for anyone that has a day out on the sea planned. However, there are ways to lessen the effects of seasickness.
Stay hydrated
You may be sick of hearing it, but keeping your body hydrated really is the solution for most of your problems. As well as being an important part of everyday life, hydration is important while diving and also boating. One of the main symptoms of seasickness is the feeling of nausea, and one of the best ways to combat this is by making sure that your body is well hydrated.
Medicate
Though there is no cure out there for seasickness, some medication options can be really useful for dealing with some of the more annoying symptoms. If you go to any pharmacist, then you are bound to find a couple of seasickness pill options. These should be taken before you get on the boat and if you start to feel any sickness when you are out on the water.
Acupressure Wristband
These bands work by putting pressure on a point in the wrist known as the P6. Scientists believe that putting pressure on this point in the wrist will help to alleviate the most annoying symptom of seasickness, which is actual nausea. This doesn’t always work for everyone, so be sure to have a backup solution.
Have plenty of rest
This falls under the same category as drinking water as one of those recommendations that seem to be the solution for almost every issue. Though you may hate to admit it, having a good night’s sleep can actually help deal with the symptoms of seasickness. Feeling tired will only make your body feel more susceptible to seasickness, so be sure to take preventative measures.
