I used to get sick A LOT. Dizzy sick. Vomit sick.

The first thing I did boarding a plane was to check the front pocket for the vomit bag.

Buses. Planes. Trains. Windsurfing board. Boats. Trains. Even cars (if stuck in the back). Roller coasters? Forget about it!

Now I am 95% ok on planes, trains & automobiles – I can even read blogs and check FB in taxis. Getting sick is no longer the default MO though I still stay off deep sea fishing boats and roller coasters (yes, even the kiddie ones).

Motion sickness didn’t disappear overnight. Over time, it just became a travel companion I didn’t have to worry or fuss about. And here’s what I do. Bear in mind, I’m just sharing what works for me and none of what I share constitutes as medical advice.

What Didn’t Work for Motion Sickness

Wearing those acupressure wristbands, rubbing the point between my thumb and index finger, taking OTC meds like Dramamine and Gravol as a teenager, eating ginger, and even putting those magnets behind my ears. None of that worked.

What else didn’t work?

Only looking at the horizon on boats, staying in the centre. Facing the direction of travel.

Nothing worked.

Worse, the meds made me groggy and dysfunctional, with motion sickness symptoms spiraling quickly out of control. One of many reasons I stay away from pharmaceuticals. My body just does not like them.

What Worked for My Motion Sickness?

Sleep.

Seriously. Sleep.

Sleep was my only refuge. Of course being unconscious for long-haul travelling is not only impossible – 9 hours straight on a plane? – it is really, really boring, not to mention super unsocial when you travel with other people. Plus even a sleep savant such as myself can’t sleep for 9, or 15 hours straight!

Over time, the biggest realization about being on a plane? Motion sickness is mostly a mental thing, a mental habit. An association. One that I started breaking when I started travelling solo. Ironically it was my mother’s worry and her constant doting and reminders to drink water that, if not actually causing motion sickness, worsened it. I know, she was only trying to take care of me. And she’s right about hydration, especially on a plane.

It’s a revelation then that, when left alone, I fare much better on moving objects. I’m more connected to my internal signals.

Top 7 Things for Motion Sickness

1 Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones

My Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones are by far, one of the BEST gifts I’ve ever gotten. That was back in 2003/4 and I still take them everywhere. I’ve since replaced the ear pieces because I want to keep my wired headphones.

Wearing these earphones has made the biggest difference and the first ding-ding that hey, travelling without getting sick could be a reality, and not a miss-and-hit thing.

It’s not so I can hear the movie better on the plane, though that is also true. These earphones cut out ambient noises AND their vibrations. It’s the constant vibration over hours of travelling that weakens my body.

It’s nothing new that we are bombarded by noise pollution, which, science shows, stresses the body.  As an energetic field, we can be impacted by vibrations and dissonance can throw off the natural frequencies of our cells, organs, and tissues. And yes, plane engines are definitely a discordant vibration!

At 60-75dB there are various anomalies noticeable in people, such as imperceptible changes in heartbeat, blood pressure or rhythm of breathing.

According to the Plane Nerd, a jet engine clocks in at 120-140dB. Busy traffic and a vacuum cleaner are already at 70dB. So you can imagine the effects of hours (think 9-13 hours) on a plane with that 140dB engine. I literally feel weak. And while not even the Bose can cut it all out, the significant reduction definitely makes an appreciable difference between motion-sickness inside a metal tube with re-circulated air and a somewhat off-balance but functional me.

Update: here’s a 2021 BBC article on noise pollution and heart health.

MIT researchers Laurence R Young and Charles M Oman shared that motion sickness “results from conflicting information reaching the brain from your eyes and your inner ear, and from different parts of the inner ear itself.” The sensory overload, for me, seems to muddle up information for me.

2 Sleep

Sleeping upon take-off and landing makes a big difference for me. The change in altitude does my ears in, never mind our energy and physical bodies being pulled apart through incredible speeds. Sleeping helps perhaps because my mind is not so active.

On long hauls, I definitely make sure I sleep enough, the length of which depending on the time zone I’m acclimating to. This is why I prefer red-eye flights or flights that get me landing in the daytime where I’m going.

I wrap myself in a soft scarf, put on my Bose headphones, and listen to my favourite tunes or watch movies. Since getting the Surfans MP3 Player, I now also travel with it. It’s a drag-and-drop system with an external memory card so it’s super easy to update and save my playlists. First I get #3 done.

Sleep is still my failsafe when any symptom of motion-sickness comes on. Over the years, it’s become less of a nightmare and a challenge.

3 Hydrate

The pressurized cabin air is very drying. With the liquid law, it’s a pain to organize my own water that I like to add lemon to. This is more so at Singapore’s Changi Airport, where security check is at the gate. While I appreciate the efficiencies this setup provides, it means I can’t buy my choice of water to take onto the flight.

For those airports I can still spend my last foreign change in, I always buy as large a bottle of water as I can. It’s right there in my seat, and I don’t have to worry about constantly flagging down a flight attendant for more water. Which also annoys your neighbor, especially when you are also implementing #4. If I do get water on a flight, I make sure I get an unopened bottle.

I do drink on the plane, maybe a glass of wine, champagne, or on the rare occasion, a coke. Sometimes I love just a few sips of it. I just make sure to drink more water to offset their dehydrating effects.

One of the items in my small carryon ziplock bag is moisturizer. My mom was big on Evian spray.

4 Be Anti-Social

I know everyone wants to be social – look at Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest…. People like to connect and share. Sometimes on flights, people like to talk to distract from their nervousness.

First, my noise cancelling earphones make any meaningful conversation difficult. Second, as much as my noise cancelling earphones are helping with my motion sickness, I have found, through painful experiences over the years, that when I turn and face a person on my side or even worse, behind me, I get sick. Sometimes only a little. Sometimes a lot. So I don’t. I rather be anti-social, than throw up on them later on. I think they’d agree.

5 Keep Cool

Stay calm and carry on…that works, too though actually, I meant not to overheat. I always have a sweater or a scarf to make sure I don’t get too cold while I’m asleep, when my body temperature naturally drops. I have found though that being too hot has the following effects.

Too hot → uncomfortable → more stressed → body tightens → more stressed & worried & anxious → queasiness.

I think this is why I am okay on a moving open air boat, like a speed boat. Or a jet ski. Even a kayak.

6 Hold My Fingers

As a Jin Shin Jyutsu practitioner, I do what is called Self-Help, which is applying this energy balancing modality on myself. An easy and effective one for travelling is holding each of the fingers. Each finger is connected to two organs and by holding the fingers, we can balance our energy flow. This is calming. Thumbs are for worry, by the way. So I hold my fingers as much as I can, on take-off, landing, watching movies… Sometimes when I wake up, I still have a finger wrapped in the other hand.

By the way, this also helps minimize or even prevent jet lag. I’ve shared this useful tip with many of my friends and clients, with good feedback.

And doing this regularly helps to harmonize the body and mind, which for me, meant increased immunity and general wellness. Since beginning my studies in 2007 and then becoming a practitioner, I have found that my overall constitution has greatly improved with my regular self-help. It may just be holding one or two fingers for a few minutes. I also spend more time on a longer session.

7 Flower Power

I always have Bach Flower Rescue Remedy. I started using this to calm the butterflies before history/political science presentations. Now I use it for everything.

-> Get the Bach Flower Rescue Remedy

I also have some essential oils like Lavender, Thieves, and/or Peppermint. Because essential oils are so complex, they help with a wide range of challenges and on many levels. I know some people absolutely hate Lavender. It’s pretty relaxing for me. I put a few drops on a cotton ball or a tissue to breathe from on the flight. Sometimes I put a few drops on my soles. Do note that both Thieves and Peppermint are “hot” oils so they can sting when applied to sensitive areas, such as near your eyes. Essential oils are also handy when it comes to clearing the spaces of hotel rooms.

I think the common thread running through these tips is how they help manage the stresses bombarding my body. The key for me is to remain relaxed and to prevent overloading my senses. I know that my body is very sensitive to frequencies, smells, and chemicals. Unfortunately our public spaces are full of toxic substances. A lot of this comes from the industrial and commercial cleaners used, ironically, to keep spaces healthy.

It’s so important to understand what our own needs are and to honour them. So I’m not the most social traveller, at least on the plane. Especially since I travel alone a lot, making sure that I’m well for the journey to my destination means I’m ready to enjoy my trip.