As every year, the start of the summer season rhymes with departures on vacation! If some are looking forward to this period, others dread it… The reason? The long journeys by car, boat, bus, train or plane which turn into a real ordeal for them.
A motion sickness that is not anecdotal, since almost a third of the population would be sensitive to “kinetosis” – a pathology whose causes are still not exactly known to this day. However, the most accepted theory on this subject suggests that it would be caused by a bad perception of the movements to which we are exposed.
The departures and returns from summer holidays seem particularly conducive to the installation of this insidious malaise… We are, for those who are sensitive to it in any case, more frequently sick during these specific journeys than during our usual journeys!
It should also be noted that many passengers experience a feeling of fatigue, drowsiness, apathy or a lack of energy without having done anything particularly exhausting: these are in fact mild manifestations of motion sickness, which shows that many more people are affected than you think!
Why this apparently exacerbated susceptibility? The reasons are in fact multiple… Compared to normal journeys, these journeys induce particular conditions, all potentially capable of increasing the incidence and severity of symptoms. Here are some elements of explanation… as well as some advice to minimize this risk.
Long journeys: a repetition of harmful movements
By car, the longer you travel, the more likely you are to feel sick, as shown by several mathematical models for predicting motion sickness.
Indeed, it is the accumulation of unpleasant movements that makes us cross the threshold beyond which the symptoms are triggered. For some people it may appear after only a few minutes… while for others it develops more slowly. Only long journeys can then push them to their last entrenchments and see them fall ill too, after several hours of road, flight, boat…
And the activities deployed to pass the time during a long drive can further contribute to these feelings of unease. We often prefer to focus on stimulating and entertaining activities: reading a book, watching a movie, playing video games or surfing social networks… Except that these visually stimulating tasks absorb us to the point that we no longer concentrate. on the visual information that allows us to assimilate the movements of the vehicle. This creates a conflict of perception of movement. Therefore, it becomes much easier to get sick.
The atmosphere on board: cumulative risks
In summer, the temperature inside the vehicle is difficult to control, with the sun often imposing stifling heat on it: conditions that tend to accentuate the symptoms of motion sickness.
In a hot environment, our body must make an effort to regulate its temperature – by sweating or breathing, for example. These different signs are all so-called primary symptoms, because they can contribute to the emergence of other more serious symptoms: dilation of blood vessels, malaise, nausea or vomiting if necessary.
To counter these effects, one would be tempted to turn on the air conditioning, which could itself, on the contrary, aggravate the situation for passengers who are very sensitive to it. The ventilation or aeration systems of the passenger compartment also show their limits.
Unpleasant odors are another factor capable of accentuating the symptoms of car sickness: the smell of pollution, cigarettes, stale or even that of leather would be the second cause of car sickness! A scenario that is more likely to occur during the holiday season, where pollution peaks are regularly recorded and where the sun’s rays heat up the materials. We also know that a region of the brain (the area postrema) is capable of triggering hypersalivation and nausea just by detecting certain odors – a protective reflex against toxins and other poisons.
Road traffic: a physical and mental constraint
In a car, it is not the speed that makes you sick but its variations, especially when they are abrupt. Acceleration and braking movements would even be the most disturbing for the body, even more so than cornering.
In practice, these speed variations are often imposed by road regulations (limitations, crossings, lights), but also by road traffic conditions. A vehicle stuck in traffic will be forced into a series of grueling accelerations and decelerations even at low speeds.
And traffic jams also add psychological stress. With the lengthening of the journey time, already potentially long, the anxiety about the time of arrival which recedes, the fatigue, the stress, the annoyance… come to weigh down the morale of the passengers. It has been observed that such factors significantly influence the level of severity of symptoms.
It is therefore better to be patient and keep your mind relaxed! Which is, admittedly, easier said than done…
Some tips to limit the damage
If you’re traveling with passengers at risk of getting sick, or if you’re sensitive yourself, a few changes to your travel habits can help. We repeat them here.
● As a driver:
Take regular breaks. This allows passengers to ventilate and significantly reduce or even eliminate their symptoms. Sometimes the symptoms can take a while to dissipate, but 15 to 30 minutes is usually enough.
Try to limit sudden accelerations and decelerations. Drive as much as possible at a constant speed and adopt a smooth ride, including when overtaking or braking.
Avoid turning too sharply when cornering on winding roads. Passengers should be as unbalanced in their seats as possible.
● For passengers:
Sit as far forward as possible in the vehicle. The movements are better assimilated there. It is while driving that one is the least affected since the movements of the vehicle are perfectly controlled.
Avoid focusing on screens and other visual content (books, etc.), especially if the vehicle is not moving at a constant speed. Instead, try looking out the window far ahead toward the horizon.
Close your eyes or try to sleep. Slowing down its activity helps to calm the body.
Tilt your seat back. This makes it possible to be less destabilized by the movements of the vehicle.
Favor fun activities with other passengers in case of boredom: playing “through the window I see…”, singing, counting cars of a specific color/brand and other activities as old-fashioned as they are effective help to pass time and especially to focus less on the discomfort felt. Psychology plays a major role in the development and disappearance of symptoms!
Finally, given the predominant role of psychology in the evolution of symptoms, be aware that passengers feeling ill could feel better with a simple placebo (a solution without proven effect but announced as effective). Simple techniques can be particularly effective. For example, offering candy, chewing gum, a sip of water or a breath of fresh air while praising their merits to fight the symptoms can have its small effect.
We therefore wish you a good journey, hoping that the trip will take place in the best conditions!
This article was written by researcher William Emond and published on the website The Conversation.
