Have you ever started reading your notes or textbook on the bus ride to school, only to find yourself feeling dizzy and nauseous moments after? Or perhaps you’ve experienced the same set of unsettling symptoms on a plane ride, or on a lovely – or in this case, not-so-lovely – Caribbean cruise. Regardless of where you were, it sounds like you were hit by a bad case of motion sickness, a condition that arises due to changes in our sense of balance and equilibrium. As a result, such a phenomenon can develop from the movements of a car or boat, the turbulence of an airplane, or even from the twirls and loops of a ride at an amusement park.
If you’re prone to motion sickness, this ride probably isn’t for you.
By jpesci via Flickr Creative Commons
So what causes motion sickness and why do we experience such discomfort as a result? First of all, motion is detected by the brain via signals sent from the inner ear, the eyes, and various sensory receptors throughout the body, and are therefore coordinated together when we walk or move ourselves consciously.
On the other hand, motion sickness occurs when the eyes and ears send different signals to the brain. In this scenario, the movement that is visually perceived “disagrees” with the movement sensed by a specialized system associated with our inner ear. This system, more so known as the vestibular system, contains the organs responsible for the maintenance of proper balance and orientation. Thus, a disturbance to the inner ear caused by any form of repeated motion can cause a person to experience dizziness, fatigue, and nausea, which is explained in this video by YouTube user Alex Dainis.
This explains why motion sickness can be experienced while reading in a moving vehicle. While your eyes are fixed on an object that is stationary, your body and inner ear sense movement from the speeding or turning vehicle, causing some sort of disagreement between the two.
The vestibular system constitutes the inner ear.
By Rage via Wikimedia Commons
In many cases, motion sickness will ultimately lead to vomiting. This is because the mismatch of signals sent to the brain by the eyes and inner ear suggests that a neurotoxin was ingested, causing the body to induce vomiting in order to get rid of it.
While around 33% of people are prone to motion sickness under mild conditions, 66% experience it under more extreme conditions. Although it is hard to prevent most cases of motion sickness, this video by YouTube user mayoclinic presents some remedies that can be followed to avoid or lessen its effects. If you are one of the 33% that is easily susceptible to this unnerving condition, perhaps these will help make your next vacation or road trip a little more enjoyable.
– Clarissa Ngui
