Motion sickness, often called airsickness when traveling by plane, arises from a disagreement between the body’s sensory inputs. The brain receives conflicting information, primarily from the inner ear and the eyes, creating a sensory conflict. The inner ear senses the aircraft’s motion, but the eyes might be focused on the stationary cabin interior, signaling that you are not moving. This mismatch can trigger symptoms like nausea, dizziness, and cold sweats. Implementing actionable strategies can prevent this discomfort and ensure a smoother flight experience.
Preparing Your Body Before Takeoff
Preventing motion sickness begins hours before you step onto the plane by optimizing your body’s internal state. Fatigue lowers your threshold for motion sickness, making you more susceptible to conflicting sensory signals. Therefore, ensuring a full night of restorative sleep before an early morning or long-haul flight is a fundamental first step.
Dietary choices in the 24 hours leading up to your flight also play a significant role in reducing gastrointestinal sensitivity. Avoid heavy, greasy, or spicy meals, as these foods take longer to digest and can aggravate the stomach lining. Instead, opt for light, easily digestible foods like plain crackers, toast, or fruit to keep your stomach settled.
Hydration is another factor in managing susceptibility to motion sickness, as dehydration can intensify symptoms. Drink plenty of water in the hours before boarding, but limit or completely avoid alcohol and excessive caffeine. Both are diuretics that promote fluid loss, contributing to dehydration and potentially increasing sensitivity to the aircraft’s motion.
Choosing the Right Seat and Visual Focus
Strategic seat selection is one of the most effective physical strategies for mitigating airsickness. The key is to position yourself where the plane’s movement is least pronounced, typically near the center of gravity. Seats located directly over the wings experience the least movement and turbulence because they are closest to this central point of stability.
Conversely, the rear of the aircraft experiences the most vertical and lateral motion, so these seats should be avoided. When booking, aim for a seat between the wings or toward the front of the plane, as these areas provide a more stable ride. Selecting a window seat is beneficial because it allows you to utilize an external visual reference.
Visual fixation on a stable external point helps the brain reconcile conflicting information from the inner ear. By looking out the window at the distant horizon or a fixed cloud, you provide your eyes with a visual confirmation of the motion sensed by the inner ear. If you cannot see the horizon, or during a night flight, closing your eyes and keeping your head still prevents new visual conflict signals from reaching the brain.
Controlling your immediate environment further contributes to stability and comfort. Directing the overhead air vent to blow cool air onto your face can provide relief from nausea and cold sweats. Refrain from reading books or using electronic devices, as focusing on a stationary object inside the cabin while moving intensifies the sensory conflict, worsening symptoms.
Pharmacological and Non-Drug Interventions
Pharmaceutical options offer reliable prevention, but they must be taken proactively, 30 to 60 minutes before the flight, to be effective. Over-the-counter antihistamines, such as dimenhydrinate, work by sedating the central nervous system and reducing the sensitivity of the inner ear’s vestibular organs. A common side effect of these medications is drowsiness, which travelers should anticipate.
A longer-lasting option is the scopolamine patch, a prescription medication placed behind the ear several hours before travel. Scopolamine works by blocking nerve signals from the vestibular system to the brain’s vomiting center, providing continuous relief for up to three days. While highly effective, it can cause side effects like dry mouth or blurred vision.
For those preferring non-drug methods, ginger is a well-researched natural remedy known for its anti-nausea properties. It can be consumed in various forms, including capsules, crystallized ginger chews, or ginger ale, and helps to calm the stomach. The recommended dosage is typically around 1,000 milligrams of ginger powder taken orally before the flight.
Physical aids like acupressure wristbands are a non-pharmacological intervention based on traditional Chinese medicine principles. These bands apply pressure to the P6 or Neiguan point on the inner wrist, which is believed to regulate nausea and vomiting pathways. While scientific evidence supporting their effectiveness is mixed, many travelers find them helpful in reducing mild symptoms.