If I read on a bus or in a car I get travel sick, yet on a train....?

Question

......I don't. Why's that? Is it anything to do with the train rocking you sideways (which is actually really soothing). Is it because there are so many bends in the road, whist train tracks are gradual bends. If I am focused on the road I don't get sick. If I look out of the side window I get sick. Yet I can look out of the side window of a train and I am fine.

Answer 1

The Answer is to do with your hearing, actually. The way your ears function mean that the noise gets turned into vibrations in a snail-shaped part filled with liquid (hear by referred to as the "ear piece") - this is also the part which controls balance.

When walking, your body absorbs most of the sideways movement caused by walking, and cushions the vertical ,meaning your hearing is only slightly affected - but far too small to notice.

When on a Car or Bus, the vibrations from the car engine are transmitted throughout the car. Because your body is in synchronisation with the vehicle, your body doesn't absorb much of the vibrations, meaning that the ear piece sends "error" signals to the brain - but these are only recognised when you are concentrating on reading, mostly material inside the car (as road signs are moving at an exponential rate, as they are still).

However, on a train, the vibrations are absorbed mostly by the train, as a requirement to passenger safety (and because railway engines run faster and are larger, therefore producing much bigger vibrations). Besides which, the suspension trains have means that most problems with the track are absorbed (but more noticeable at higher speeds - if evident at all). Therefore, the minimal of vibrations are received by the ear piece, and are therefore not registered as "error" signals.

Answer 2

I know many people who suffer a similar problem and I believe the train is running along relatively flat lines with minimal movement up, down or sideways. Buses and cars are much more volatile in their movement.

Answer 3

The train is a smoother ride i would tak a guess at. I can do any thing but read whilst driving other wise im travel sick.

Answer 4

Yeah with you on that one i have had really bad travel sickness in cars, buses, planes and yet i can travel miles on a train without feeling sick, and yet i still could not tell you why, maybe its the vibrations that a veichle on the road has that a train does not.

and ive tried all the old wives tales tricks like sitting on newspapers to the medical wrist straps to tablets and none of them work

Answer 5

Cars and buses can accelerate and brake really hard, and tend to swerve.  Your balance system has to adjust to all that acceleration or jerk.    Trains don't do that nearly as much, and newer trains can be programmed for maximums.    Like BART cannot exceed 3.5 mph per second of acceleration or 1.0 mph per second per second of jerk.  (not a typo.  Acceleration is change in speed, jerk is change in acceleration.)

Answer 6

You will find that due to the motion not being noticable except when the train has a violent stop due to an emergency break application, that the body does not normally notice the motion of a train unless you are obviously standing in between a carrage. Plus also you are not so cramped and contained in most trains (unless you are on one of the sardine specials during peak times)

Answer 7

not to much stop and go going on, on a train is there??

Answer 8

If I try to read in the city the constant start and stop of traffic will make me carsick, yet when on long road trips I can read as long as I want.

Answer 9

Its all about equilibrium. When in a train you're moving more than you think and your body cant read it's surroundings. Take Ginger Root pills. They stop all types of motion sickness.

Answer 10

Could be something to do with static, a car or a bus run on tires so there is no contact with the ground so you you have static build up, that is why a lot of people put a chain or a metal strip from the car to touch the road, A train has metal wheels so it is always in solid contact with the ground