blog post

Tips and Remedies for Sea Sickness

by Dawn Stevens

Has this ever happened to you?  After months of anticipation and preparation we are finally onboard and heading out to sea!  It’s great to be out on the great blue expanse once again.   Out on deck the air is fresh and calming.   We enjoy lunch on the aft deck, endure the muster drill and tour the ship.  The atmosphere is jovial and the pressures of life are starting to melt away as we sail into the sunset. 

After awhile we decide that it’s time to unpack so we can be organized before our 8:00 PM dinner seating.  Back in the cabin I begin the task of unpacking my clothes…back and forth from suitcase to closet.  Soon I start feeling a little warm and notice that the ship is rocking a bit.   My head starts spinning ever so slightly and I’m getting that familiar queasy feeling in my stomach.   "Oh no, not already!"  The beginnings of sea sickness have encroached upon my short lived serenity.  If I don’t stop what I’m doing and take evasive action I’ll miss the five-course dinner and ship activities tonight for sure!  I’ve missed them before, horizontal on my bed, entertained only by the selected TV movie of the evening, crackers and soda.   They never mention this in the cruise brochure.

Sound familiar?  If you are unfortunate enough to be prone to sea sickness like me, maybe you avoid ships and other such things that tend take the fun out of fun.   I’ve been determined not to let it stop me from doing what I otherwise enjoy, so I’m perennially on the hunt to find motion sickness remedies that work for me.  Almost every remedy has been tested by me, my clients or friends.   I’ve done quite a bit of research on the subject and I’ll try to weed out the inconsequential and lay out what I believe to be the best and most convenient options for you to try.   

The Cause and Symptoms of Motion Sickness

The most common current theory behind motion sickness is that it occurs when the brain receives conflicting signals from the eyes and the inner ear, which controls sense of balance.  Your inner ear may feel motion but your vision does not concur, possibly viewing stationary furniture inside of a ship or the pages of a book.   This discrepancy causes symptoms in some people.  The lucky ones have never experienced motion sickness at all.  Others will feel symptoms if the motion is strong and some, the unluckiest, feel symptoms even with slight motion.  No one seems to know why this differs among people.  Symptoms of motion sickness include nausea, vomiting, drowsiness, sweaty palms, headache and dizziness.   Just the kind of things to ruin an otherwise perfect vacation!

Fortunately, for those who suffer from sea sickness, there is some good news!   Nowadays the large newer ships have stabilizers which steady the ships quite well and reduce the “roll”, or side to side motion.   It’s the roll of the ship that affects me the most, so I’m quite grateful for these stabilizers!  However, the stabilizers should not be relied on to reduce all motion.  If you are prone to motion sickness, or are not sure, it's better to be prepared than not.  There are lots of remedies out there including logistical tips, herbal remedies, drugs and devices.  Just as motion sickness symptoms are not the same or caused exactly the same for everyone, the remedies also do not work the same for everyone.    Try different things and find what works for you!

More good news is that as the cruise goes on, your body will start adapting and you should feel better.  This is called ‘developing your sea legs’.   When that happens, you feel better and more stable on the ship, but when you get off the ship you’ll find yourself feeling the motion on dry land.  It’s an interesting sensation! 

Logistics and Tips

• Reduce the Odds of Rough Seas.    Of course, anytime of year you can run into rough seas but if you want to reduce the odds, avoid sailing the Pacific to the Mexican Riviera in the winter and to Hawaii in winter and early spring.  The Atlantic Ocean is usually rougher during hurricane season, which is technically June through November, with most activity from August through October.

• Cabin Location.  When booking your cruise, choose a cabin in the middle of the ship, front to back (fore to aft) and top to bottom.  The more "mid-ship" you can get, the less motion you will feel. (Think of a see-saw…the middle doesn't move nearly as much as the ends.)  If you can't get mid-ship, choose towards the rear rather than the front, or the bow.   The bow hits the waves head-on and will be rougher in high seas .

If you can afford a balcony cabin, get one, because breathing fresh air and watching the horizon are quite helpful in reducing sea sickness symptoms.  If you are not feeling well, it may be difficult to get out of your cabin, head down the hall, up the stairs, and out the door to get to the fresh air.  If you have your own balcony you don't have to go through all that to get outside.  Alternatively, an inside or ocean view cabin that is close to an outside door will be the next best thing.  Even though you have no outside view in an inside cabin, you are in the center of the ship widthwise which actually should have less motion than an ocean view or balcony cabin.   A good central location for your cabin will not alleviate motion sickness, but it can sure help when you are in it!  

• Stay away from alcohol as well as greasy and acidic food.   Don’t starve though.  It’s better to have some bland food in your stomach than for it to be empty.  Plain bread or crackers usually feel pretty good on a queasy stomach.  A few olives may help as well.

• Get Outside.  Go out on deck and look at the horizon.  Breathe in the fresh air.  Stay away from smoke stacks and other odors.    Looking at the horizon helps get your sensory system back in balance.

• Walk at the first sign of queasiness.  This I haven’t done, but supposedly it works because you are in motion that both of your senses can agree on.  Best to walk on deck in the fresh air (not by the smoke stack) and keep your eyes fixed on the horizon!  If you wait too long and are already to sick, this may not work.

• Go to the bow (front of the ship on deck) and watch the horizon.    One cruiser swears by this method.  She says it gets her position sensors in sync every time.   If you sit in a deck chair and can’t see the horizon, you might be better off closing your eyes.  This way there will be no conflict in the senses.

• Stay Away from others who are sick and vomiting.  This will make you sick too!

• Recline and put your feet up!    When I start to feel dizzy and nauseated from motion sickness, I lie down or slouch way down in a chair.  Whatever the reason, I do not feel the symptoms in a reclining position.  Even though I may miss a few things, this makes it bearable.   I have never felt symptoms while sleeping at night.   

• Find the interior center of the ship.  One particularly rough day at sea, I made my way from the outside deck to the reception desk to check on something.  I worried that it would make me feel worse to go inside, and was prepared to quickly turn around and beeline for the outside deck.  As I stood in line at the reception desk I found that I was starting to feel better.   I then realized that I was probably in the dead middle of the ship from all directions.  I decided to sit down on a sofa in that area for awhile.   Lack of motion is better than fresh air!

• Take immediate action!   If you start to feel sick, you should take evasive action of some sort immediately.   The longer you let it go it may become much worse and take you longer to recover.

Natural Motion Sickness Remedies

My experience with some of the natural remedies below is that they were effective for slight symptoms but not for heavy symptoms.   However, as I have noted before, everyone is different and some natural remedies have worked well for others with heavy symptoms.

• Green Apple.   This was suggested by a ship crew member.  If you start feeling sea sick, try eating a green apple.  It has worked for me with slight queasiness and worked wonders for one of my clients who was quite sea sick.  There should be green apples on board.  If you can’t find them in the buffet, ask a waiter to check and see if there are some in the kitchen.

• Motion Eaze.  This is a liquid herb concoction that might give you some sea sickness relief.  It has helped me as well as a woman that I shared it with on a Mexican Riviera cruise.  It is a combination of various herbs with a pleasant but quite strong odor (a possible drawback in a crowded place).  It is dabbed behind your ear.

• Ginger.   Ginger has been used for ages to reduce the effects of motion sickness.  You can find ginger products in health food stores and online.  I even found a slew of ginger products at World Market.  There are ginger capsules, crystallized ginger candy, ginger gum, ginger snaps, ginger ale.  The latter two do not have as high a concentration but can still be somewhat effective.  I found munching on ginger snaps helped to settle my stomach with mild queasiness.   The crystallized candy was way too strong for me but a chewy kind was pretty good.    Taking two capsules before travel should help and then about 3 times a day.

• Peppermint or Ginseng Tea.  I haven’t tried these but they are in general soothing on the stomach.

• Quease Ease.   This is an herbal blend of three oils chosen for their anti-nausea attributes – ginger, peppermint and spearmint.  A few deep inhalations can calm queasiness.   This has worked for me with mild symptoms.   You can find it at drugstore.com.

• EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique).  This is a technique involving tapping on acupuncture points around your face, body and hands to get your nerve meridians on track.  This will seem weird to some, however, it has helped me more than any of the other sea sickness remedies I have tried…and I've tried most of them!  You can do it on yourself.  I went from flat on my back to up and ready for dinner in about ten minutes in gale force winds around the southern tip ofChile.    You can get free EFT instructions (mini-manual) online at http://www.eftuniverse.com.    This was nothing short of amazing to my husband who has dined without me on numerous cruise evenings while I was stuck horizontal in the cabin.  It was amazing to me as well!

• Acupuncture.  Acupuncture is provided on some ships as an onboard service to help passengers combat motion sickness.  It has been helpful for many people, on the same vein as EFT.  It's not a free service though (in the neighborhood of $100 per session).  Check with the Spa to see if there is an Acupuncturist on board your ship.   The cost of this treatment has deterred me from trying it, but it just might be worth it if you are feeling pretty bad.

Drugs and Devices for Motion Sickness

There are several over-the-counter, as well as prescription drugs and it is unclear precisely how they work.  They do seem to suppress motion sickness in many people but the side effects may be undesirable for some.   Be sure to ask your doctor if these drugs are safe for you.  I’ve listed the most common ones found in drug stores in theUnited States.  There are others, but the efficacy and side-effects are similar so I haven’t listed them.

• Bonine, Dramamine Less Drowsy Formula, and Zentrips Thin Strips (Meclizine).    These over-the-counter drugs are antihistamines and it isn’t clear why they work.  Bonine and Dramamine LDF come in 25 mg tablets.  Zentrips are 25 mg strips that dissolve on your tongue.  These work best if you take an hour or two before sailing.  Side effects include drowsiness, dry mouth and blurred vision.   You should try them out at home first, on a day that you can stay home without much responsibility.   Most drug stores carry at least one of them and all three can be found at DrugStore.com.

My experience:  Unfortunately I did not try this out at home first!  I took one Bonine tablet before our day at sea in the Pacific Oceanon the way to the Mexican Riviera.  I was passed out for several hours and was not fully awake for about 24 hours.  I missed the whole first day at sea!  The real bite was that the seas were pretty calm.  I took it only “in case” they got rough.   I am ultra sensitive to drugs so this medication is not for me!  Bonine does work great for many people though and without much drowsiness.  The drowsiness factor is less than regular Dramamine.  (I’d never dare try that!)  This is an easy fix for most people.

• Dramamine (Dimenhydrenate).   Also an antihistamine.  Dramamine tends to make you drowsier than Meclizine, which may be okay for a long flight, but not so great for a cruise…unless you want to sleep through it.  This is also best to take well before the potential onset of symptoms.

• Marezine (Cyclizine Hydrochloride).  A lesser known antihistamine.  I’ve only seen it at drugstore.com.   From what I have read, it is similar to the antihistamines above.

• Scopolamine Patch or Scopace Tablets (Hycoscine) can be prescribed by your doctor.  In trials this worked better than the OTC antihistamines.  Scopolamine is effective for most but does have side effects, including dry mouth, drowsiness and blurred vision.   It’s worked well for several of my clients and dry mouth was the only side-effect complaint.  The benefit to wearing the "patch" is that the drug is dispensed gradually through the skin.  One patch placed behind the ear lasts for three days.   The down side is that the dosage cannot be altered for different weights.  May be too much for a lighter woman or not enough for a heavier man.  The Scopace tablet has the advantage of being prescribed for your specific weight.  I haven’t tried this yet as I have been worried about the drowsiness factor, but I may yet give it a try anyway as it has been so effective for others.

All of the above medicines should be taken a few hours before sailing to be effective.

Motion Sickness Devices

• Elastic Wrist Bands (Sea Bands or PSI Bands).    These have a button which presses on the P6 pressure point on the inside of your wrist.  This is supposed to block impulses that tell your brain you don’t feel well and thus suppress the symptoms.   You can find these at drugstore.com.

My Experience:  They don’t work for me, but there are some who swear by them.  

• Electronic Wrist Bands.  These are suped up versions of the wristbands above.  They are battery operated devices that deliver a little electrical impulse on the P6 pressure point.  You are supposed to dial the intensity of the electrical impulse just enough that you feel a little tingling.   It should block the impulses better than the elastic bands.   The Relief band has been removed from the market.  A new one called Reletex is prescription only and is about $150.

My Experience:   I never could get the dang thing to the right setting.  There was no little tingling for me…every four seconds it delivered a shock that kept me jumping out of my seat!  If I turned it down I didn't feel anything.  After an hour of the shock treatment I’d had enough (and it wasn’t helping the motion sickness either)!  That was the end of that.  Maybe the Reletex brand is better.

In summary, many options exist for those suffering from mild to severe motion sickness.   From my research and personal experience, I would recommend logistics, herbal remedies and over the counter antihistamines for mild to moderate symptoms.   Severe symptoms have responded best to the Scopolamine patch or the oral form of Scopace.   Good results have also been achieved with Acupuncture and the Emotional Freedom Technique.   If you become gravely ill with motion sickness onboard, the ship’s doctor can give you a shot of  Phenergan or something similar.   This will most likely knock you out for several hours, which you might not mind if you are that sick.

Here’s to us cruise die-hards who aren’t giving up just because of occasional discomfort on the seas!  May we sail on whatever the seas!