We recently came back from a family trip to Arizona. It was so nice to be in a warm place while it was -40°C back home and snowing [no I am not exaggerating… look up Manitoba, Canada… we really have those kind of winters… regularly… at one point we were colder than Mars]. If you live here… you understand. If you live in a place where the whole city shuts down because of 2cm of snow… I just can’t empathize.

Let me just come back from my snow rant… [deep breath… deep breath…] OK.

As a family, we have taken many trips over the years… most by car and some by plane. Guess who has motion sickness? [PS it’s always me]. Just give me the barf bag already. I used to take Grav*l but it caused drowsiness and a super dry mouth and throat… so I was drinking lots of water… having to stop at all the rest stops… it was not ideal. I am trying to eliminate medications and toxins that have natural alternatives.

Ways to Prevent Motion Sickness

1. Drink peppermint/ginger tea before and during the trip [if possible – I realize that bringing ready-made tea on an airplane is not happening]. To make peppermint & ginger tea, use looseleaf peppermint tea steeped (for 3 mins) in boiling water and zest in about 1/2 teaspoon of ginger into the water. It can also be made with 5-7 fresh mint leaves that have been washed and ripped into small pieces. Place inside a french press/choice of tea infuser, steep (for 5-10 mins) and also zest in the 1/2 teaspoon of ginger. Peppermint contains menthol which helps to numb the nerve endings in your stomach to help with nausea. Ginger neutralizes stomach acid and relaxes stomach muscles.

2. Use Peppermint EO (Young Living or Plant Therapy) and Ginger EO (Young Living or Plant Therapy) by putting 1 drop of each in the palm of your hand, cup hands around your nose and mouth and take several slow deep breaths. This can be repeated a few times until you feel comfortable. This is a great alternative to the tea for the airplane, since essential oils are allowed on board. *Do not use Peppermint of Ginger EOs for children age 2-15 or pregnant/nursing mamas*

{I use and recommend Young Living Essential Oils and Plant Therapy Essential Oils because they are 100% pure quality essential oils. There are other reputable essential oil companies to purchase from. Your local drug store’s cheap essential oil can give you a rash and not have the same positive effects because most only contain about 10% of the pure oil and the rest is filled with synthetics. Do your research and find a company you feel comfortable purchasing from.}

3. Use an acupressure wrist band. These work based on the acupressure points on your body. The Nei Guan (P6 point) helps with feelings of nausea, headaches, and upset stomach. To find your P6 point, place 3 fingers on your arm starting at the wrist crease. The point just after your three fingers between your tendon is your P6 point. Pressing on and massaging the P6 point may help, but I find it is more effective to wear both the wrist bands at the same time.

4. Breathe in breathe out. [Don’t laugh at this one… I mean it… it can help.] Count to 5 during your breath in and back from 5 on your breath out. Deep breathing is good for calming and relaxing the body.

5. Do not read or play a game that requires focus and is close to the face. Your eyes will focus on the book or game in front of you and the inside of the car is in your line of vision, so essentially the eyes are giving the brain this message: you are not in motion. At the same time, your ears hear the car driving down the road and are giving the opposite message to the brain: you are in motion. These conflicting messages to the brain can cause motion sickness (read more about this here). [This means no Sudoku for me…sigh].

6. Sit near the wing of an airplane. This is actually a tip from a flight attendant who saw me suffering through turbulence. [Thank you – wherever you are!] The center of the plane (where the wings are) is the closest to the airplane’s center of gravity, which means the least amount of turbulence. The back of the plane has the most noise and turbulence. If you are able to select your seats, keep this in mind!

7. Listen to music or watch a TV show/movie from a distance. These are great distractions from motion sickness. Listening to relaxing music can help to calm the body, and watching a funny TV show or movie can make you laugh and forget about your nausea. [I recommend reruns of Seinfeld…]

Happy Travels 🙂

Do you suffer from motion sickness? What remedies have you tried?