Seasickness causing nausea and vomiting can make you feel miserable and ruin your cruise. If you’re prone motion sickness, you’re at increased risk of developing seasickness, especially if the sea gets rough. But even if you normally don’t have problems with motion sickness or/and already were on a cruise and didn’t develop seasickness, that doesn’t mean that you’re immune to seasickness. Before we go to the most effective prevention measures and treatments for seasickness, let’s have a look of what causes it and who is at increased risk.
Seasickness is a type of motion sickness and is caused by the brain receiving conflicting information from the motion senses and organs: eyes, inner ear and nerves. It can affect anyone, however, it is more likely to be developed by children and individuals who are prone to motion sickness when travelling by car, plane or/and train. Unfortunately, there is no cure for motion sickness but there are several treatments, remedies and measures that significantly reduce its risk or alleviate its symptoms.
Over-the-counter medications.
There are several over-the-counter medications which help prevent or alleviate the symptoms of seasickness. If you haven’t been taking them before, ask a pharmacist for advice. Keep in mind, however, that all can cause unwanted side effects.
Scopolamine patches.
These are available only with prescription and are recommended for individuals who are prone to motion sickness and don’t respond to over-the-counter medications.
Home remedies.
A number of home remedies are claimed to be very effective in both preventing and treating seasickness. For most, however, there are no evidence that they actually work. Also, even all natural remedies can sometimes cause side effects and interact with medications. If you worry that you may develop seasickness on your cruise, we recommend you to ‘equip’ yourself with the conventional over-the-counter or prescription medications.
Simple preventive measures.
There are several measures you can take to reduce the risk of developing seasickness or make its symptoms less unbearable: choose a larger over smaller ship (they provide a smoother ride), book an outside cabin in the middle section of the ship to have a view of the horizon and be exposed to less movement, avoid itineraries where the ocean is more likely to get rough and watch what you’re eating (and drinking). Fatty and sugary foods, and alcohol make the symptoms of seasickness worse.
