Travel Sickness

Approximately one in three people experience travel sickness at some point in their lives.1 It can occur at any time and on any mode of transport.1,2 In a moving vehicle, passenger illness is three times higher for passengers who have no view of the road ahead.1

    Some people also experience the symptoms of travel sickness when watching a movie or virtual reality simulation.1,2,3,4 This condition has been termed ‘cybersickness’.1 

    Travel sickness and cybersickness do not only present as nausea.1 Other symptoms that occur as result of physical or visual motion exposure but are commonly overlooked include:1

    • Vomiting 
    • Dizziness/light-headedness/unsteadiness
    • Cold sweat
    • Dry mouth
    • Feeling of eye strain
    • Sleepiness
    • Epigastric discomfort

    Factors that may increase the risk of experiencing travel sickness include:1 

    • Childhood (ages 2–12)
    • Female gender
    • Family history of travel sickness
    • Other illnesses: it tends to be more common in people who suffer from migraines, vertigo or Meniere’s disease1 ,4,5


    Travel sickness can affect a person’s recreation, employment and quality of life.5 It is often easier to prevent than cure.5

    Travel sickness occurs when there is conflict between sensory inputs.1 ,5 The classic case is trying to read in a moving car.1  To do this, the reflexes that normally stabilize the eyes on an external stationary object must be suppressed by visually guided eye movements to maintain scanning of the text being read.1 

    Motion sickness may be prevented and alleviated by pharmacological measures.1 ​​​​​​,2,5

    Over-the-counter medications are available to treat travel sickness.6

    References
    1.

    Koch A, Cascorbi I, Westhofen M, et al. The Neurophysiology and Treatment of Motion Sickness. Dtsch Arztebl Int 2018; 115: 687–96.DOI: 10.3238/arztebl.2018.0687Murdin L, Golding J, Bronstein A.

    2.

    Managing Motion Sickness. BMJ. 2011;343:d7430. doi:10.1136/bmj.d7430

    3.

    Zhang L-L, Wang J-Q, Qi R-R, et al. Motion Sickness: Current Knowledge and Recent Advance. CNS Neurosci Ther. 2016;22(1):15-24. doi:10.1111/cns.12468

    4.

    Mittelstaedt JM. Individual Predictors of the Susceptibility for Motion-related Sickness: A Systematic Review. VES. 2020;30(3):165-193. doi:10.3233/VES-200702

    5.

    Leung AKC, Hon KL. Motion Sickness: An Overview. DIC. 2019;8:1-11. doi:10.7573/dic.2019-9-4

    6.

    Sandoz SA (Pty). Professional Information. October 2020.