# Motion Sickness - Cause? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 16, 2003, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/motion-sickness-cause/182156 "2003-06-16T04:43:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Fuel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df705f/32.png) [@Fuel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuel)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/motion-sickness-cause/182156/1 "2003-06-16T04:43:22Z")
I searched here and found only remedies for sickness… What, specifically, is the _cause_ of motion sickness? Is any of it mental/psychological? Also, what is the difference between **car sickness, roller coaster sickness and sea sickness**? Also, what types of variables help avoid sickness, and what variables make it worse (diet, hydration, temperature ect.)? ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/motion-sickness-cause/182156/2 "2003-06-16T05:11:11Z")
> [@](#): > > Movement of the body through the environment is processed in the brain by input from sensory systems. The cause of motion sickness is considered to be a conflict between visual and inner ear sensations. It is the inability of the brain to match these two sensations that leads to symptoms of motion sickness. Symptoms may also develop from purely visual stimuli such as flight simulators or video games. It appears that this is directly proportional to how well the stimulus mimics actual motion. > > Motion sickness is particularly associated with up and down movement. For example, onboard a ship, a roll rate of every 5 seconds is likely to cause illness. Movement at higher frequencies is less likely to do so. > > SOURCE: [http://www.worldtravelers.org/motionsickness.htm](http://www.worldtravelers.org/motionsickness.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/motion-sickness-cause/182156/3 "2003-06-16T05:13:14Z")
I believe it has to do with your eyes seeing that your moving, while your body feels like it is motionless. That seems to throw off something in your head and make you quezy. Having never been car or sea sick I don’t know if they are the same. (In fact I doubt they are at all the same, I assume sea sickness has more to do with the up and down motion of the water under the boat). Also from what I understand, the worst thing about sea sickness is that even after vomiting, you still feel just as sick. That probably causes more problems, since your body is used to feeling at least somewhat better after vomiting. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/motion-sickness-cause/182156/4 "2003-06-16T05:14:13Z")
Dang…I also meant to add (same link as above). The site also seems to have a fairly complete of medications that treat motion sickness. > [@](#): > > Strategies to prevent or lessen motion sickness: > [ul] > [li]Position yourself where the motion is least - front seat of the car, midship, or over the wing of the plane. [/li][li]Minimize head movement. Lie back or lie down. Support your head. [/li][li]Close your eyes if that works. [/li][li]Do not read while feeling any symptoms of motion sickness; you will only feel sicker. [/li][li]Look at the horizon. [/li][li]Consider using prevention medicine particularly if you get motion sickness frequently. [/li][li]Avoid alcohol and foods high in fat, protein, and salt. [/li][li]Eat a light meal prior to travel. [/li][li]Fix your gaze on the horizon or distant object. [/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/motion-sickness-cause/182156/5 "2003-06-16T05:16:06Z")
damn ---
**Author:** ![dwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwyr/32/363_2.png) [@dwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwyr)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/motion-sickness-cause/182156/6 "2003-06-16T06:35:43Z")
As a life-long sufferer of motion sickness I agree strongly that there is a visual component. I’ve found that although I get sick riding in a vehicle I never do if I’m the one driving. Then I control the movement and there’s not as much disparity between what I see and what I feel. There seems to be something to lateral movement as well. I can ride a city bus without much problem but being in a taxi cab weaving in and out of traffic does me in. Repitition of movements is not good either. For example the consistent circular motion of a merry-go-round makes me sick while riding The Beast roller coaster at King’s Island doesn’t. On a few occasions no actual movement of my body has taken place but I get motion sick anyway. This happened once in an IMAX theater (it only took ten minutes!) and has happened when I was looking through a teaching microscope being used by a professor. The fast movement of the slide, which I wasn’t controlling, made me very nauseated. Looking out the front of the car or closing my eyes helps, if I can’t actually drive the vehicle. Whatever you do, don’t look at anything that’s moving by quickly, as out of the side windows. That makes it much worse. Reading in a car is right out. Air-conditioning helps too, it seems to be worse in hot weather. ---
**Author:** ![Fuel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df705f/32.png) [@Fuel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuel)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/motion-sickness-cause/182156/7 "2003-06-16T07:19:36Z")
I noticed some people mention that being hot makes it worse, as you did **dwyr**. Is there any scientific connection there? ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/motion-sickness-cause/182156/8 "2003-06-16T07:33:20Z")
The problem is intensified by your body sensing the motion while your eyes cannot see it. Thus the advice in **Whack-a-Mole** ’s post. That is why driving a car is often no problem but being a passenger is, and why reading sets so many people off. I was told the “go to prow of the boat and watch the horizon until your used to the motion” method by a sailor and it never seems to fail. I discovered after I had kids that 2 turns on a little park merry-go-round made me sick as a dog. A friend who is a physical therapist explained that it is very common for adults to lose the knack of spinning around depending on their lifestyle but if you wish you can reacquire it by practicing spinning and tumbling. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/motion-sickness-cause/182156/9 "2003-06-16T13:34:19Z")
All motion sickness is caused by the same basic mechanism. Amusement park rides which shake you violently and turn you fast in every direction can make you sick in under a minute. I remember reading some Romans in Egypt got sick riding camels but did not get sick riding horses because camels sway more than horses do. In spite of being an avid sailor I suffer from “mal de mer” and I am quite acquainted with it. As they say: the one and only sure remedy is to go sit under a tree. It never fails. Other than that different people seem to have different responses. There are wrist straps which work for some people but they never worked for me. I have noticed it is easier to get sick if you are alert and drowsiness will make you more immune. It is impossible to be seasick if you are asleep and almost impossible if you are very drowsy. Many drugs for the prevention of this make you drowsy but it works just as well if you are just very short of sleep. Of course, it is not a good idea to do that if you are the one driving or sailing (but neither is taking the drowsy pills). The most effective remedy is the [scopolamine patch](http://www.prevent-motion-sickness-scopolamine.com/) but some people have strong reactions to it. It was withdrawn from the market for a couple of years due to some problems and now it is back. Maybe it has been reformulated. And I believe you need a prescription. Some people say ginger makes them more immune to seasickness. In a boat or ship, standing amidships and looking forward towards the horizon works pretty well. Also, like in a car, some people will not get sick at the wheel. Going belowdecks and reading are the worst things you can do. For me, when my stomach rejects everything, bananas are the one thing which may stay down. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/motion-sickness-cause/182156/10 "2003-06-16T13:51:33Z")
OK, now we know the biomechanical processes that create motion sickness, but there’s an implied question that has not been answered: Why do these things make us sick? Why should the conflict in the brain make us barf? Is motion sickness an evolved adaptation that has some benefit? Or is it just a consequence of our biology that is not harmful enough to be selected against? ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/motion-sickness-cause/182156/11 "2003-06-16T13:57:37Z")
OK, now we know the biomechanical processes that create motion sickness, but there’s an implied question that has not been answered: Why do these things make us sick? Why should the conflict in the brain make us barf? Is motion sickness an evolved adaptation that has some benefit? Or is it just a consequence of our biology that is not harmful enough to be selected against? ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/motion-sickness-cause/182156/12 "2003-06-16T15:48:46Z")
Another possible cause of a mismatch between what the eyes see and what the body feels is food poisoning – it can make your vision blurry and/or make you feel dizzy. If you have eaten something that causes these symptoms and you vomit, you may survive anyway. So those who responded to the symptom in that way improved their chances of having more offspring and passing the trait on. In the case of motion sickness, we have created the same symptom without the same cause. The body doesn’t “know” that, and reacts accordingly. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/motion-sickness-cause/182156/13 "2003-06-16T15:58:48Z")
Exactly, **MLS**. Your brain thinks you have food poisoning, and the nausea is your body’s attempt to rid itself of the bad food.