By the BSC Office
Seasickness is a type of motion sickness caused by conflicting signals between your eyes and inner ear movement. When you are gaining your sea legs, you can experience nausea, dizziness, vomiting, headaches, or other symptoms that are caused from the rocking motion of the boat. The swaying of the boat can cause a mix of sensory input that our brains struggle to process. As you give your body time to adjust to the constant rocking of the boat, here are some tips to help ward off the sickness:
- Do not go down below. Seasickness can be worse if you go into the cabin since your eyes will see the boat stationary, but your ears will know you are not.
- Stay on deck, mid-ship, near the waterline. By staying on deck you can get fresh air which will help with smells or other nausea triggers. The dead center of the boat has the least amount of rocking movement.
- Look at the horizon. You can reduce the conflict between your eyes and ears since the horizon is a stable, fixed reference point allowing our brains to catch up with the constant rocking motion.
- Eat light & stay hydrated. Snacking on plain crackers, green apples, and bland foods can help settle your stomach. Staying hydrated will help prevent the nausea from getting worse. Green apples have natural acids that help neutralize stomach acid compared to regular red apples.
- Try ginger. Ginger in any form acts as a natural anti-emetic that can help soothe your stomach. It also affects neural pathways, which can help prevent signals that trigger vomiting. Ginger ale, ginger chews, and ginger tea are great things to keep in your sail bag, just in case!
- Buy seasickness glasses. They are basically two rings around your eyes, half full of blue liquid. The blue liquid tricks your eyes into thinking there’s a constant horizon.
- Buy acupressure wristbands. Acupressure wristbands work by applying constant gentle pressure to the inside of each wrist. The constant stimulation to these pressure points is said to interrupt nausea signals sent to the brain.
- Take Dramamine or another seasickness medication. If all other options fail, try medication. Dramamine blocks seasickness by preventing nerve signals from the inner ear to the brain’s center. However, Dramamine and other medications can cause drowsiness, so plan accordingly.
Let us know if you have any other tips or tricks to ward off seasickness!