What can i do to prevent or help car sickness

Question

me my grandma my mom and my 2 little brothers are going to washington my littleist brother is sitting in the front in the middle with my grandma and my mom so i have to sit in the back with my other brother we lift an open space so that i can lay down when i get sick but i want to know if there was anything i can do to help it

Answer 1

Motion sickness has nothing to do with motion, believe it or not.  It is a build up of static electricity within your body.  This build up causes you to feel nauseous.

Ever seen cars dragging those little black ribbons behind them?  They appear to be attached to the bumper, and they're dragging along on the ground.  Most people don't think twice about them.

In actuality, these are "grounding ribbons".  They ground the car so that static electricity within the car doesn't build up ... it's transferred to the road as you drive, and the passengers don't get sick.

This is actually the reason people get sick on airplanes, but as there is no way to "ground" an airplane, dramamine is the only solution.

Whichever car you are mainly a passenger in, ask the owner (whether your mom or grandma) if she'll install grounding ribbons.  The whole problem simply disappears.

Answer 2

I used to get car sickness BAD.  Since discovering Dramamine I have been fine.  It really does work wonders.  Give it a try.

Answer 3

you can either take dramamine before you go which lasts about 8 hours and prevents car sickness or you can take benadryl once you begin to feel carsick. benadryl works well but takes a few minutes to get it working. you can also suck on a mint. the best thing to do is not focus on a small space such as a book or portable DVD player.

Answer 4

My mom used to give me benadryl, it will make you very sleepy though, so don't take it if you are going to drive.

Answer 5

Dramamine and Bonine are over-the-counter medications for motion sickness.  Dramamine will most likely make you drowsy.  Bonine isn't supposed to make you sleepy.

Motion sickness is actually more likely to occur if you lie down.  If you can look out the front window and focus on something in the distance, your ears and your eyes will give your brain the same message - "Hey!  We're moving forward!"  It's when you try to look out a side window for a long period, or at the electric lines on their poles along the road (DON'T - just take my word on that one), or even looking at your lap to read a book that you get sick.  Your ears tell your brain that your body is moving forward, but your eyes are focused somewhere else.  

Here's something else that may help.  Do you have room in the back seat to keep a small cooler?  Get two or three wash cloths wet, fold them neatly to fit over your forehead, and put them in the freezer overnight.  Before you leave, put them in ziploc bags and stick them in a small cooler with a small bottle of water and some of those blue ice pacs.  When you feel the nausea starting, get a wash cloth out and put it on your forehead or on the back of your neck.  You can use that small bottle of water to keep the cloths damp.  The cold may help your body deal with the nausea.

You can buy these soft elastic bands in some drug stores and places like Wal-Mart and Target.  They're usually around the stomach remedies but sometimes they're in the aisle with the children's medicines.  These bands are called sea-sick bands.  I have a couple of friends who wear them any time they have to fly or take really long car trips, and they swear the bands work.  I've never tried them.  The idea behind them is that the bands have these round plastic buttons that you position on the inside of your wrist, and the buttons put pressure on a particular nerve that actually interrupts the brain's processing of the impulses that make you feel sick.  They're inexpensive, so it might be worth a try.

I hope your trip goes well.  My brother and I used to suffer from car sickness pretty badly, and although we both outgrew it, I will never forget how awful it feels.  (Especially I'll never forget how sick I got the time I was laying in the back seat, counting the electric lines above the car.  Yeah, that was BAD.)

Answer 6

people are really born with it, but try not to sleep before the ride...so you can sleep on the way there.

reading makes people really sick in the car, so don't do that. try listening to music...calming music to help you fall asleep. bring a bottle of water and dont eat fast food or soda before.

hope i helped!

Answer 7

Take a Gravol -- it will keep you car sick free.

I believe laying down will make it worse.  You need to keep your eyes on the horizon line.  Motion sickness is caused by your eyes seeing something different than your body is feeling.  Position yourself so you can see out the front window (between the seats).  If that's not possible, keep our eye looking out the side windows.  Fresh air helps, too.

Answer 8

I get extremely car sick if I am not keeping my eye on the road.  I usually have to sit next to the window so i can open it to get some fresh air.  The trick is to always look FORWARD.  Try and look out the front window or if looking out the passenger side window, look forward towards the direction you are traveling.  Don't do any reading or looking backwards, that makes it worse.  If you are able to sleep, that might also help.

good luck

Answer 9

There is a medication that your grandma can buy over-the-counter called Dramamine (Dimenhydrinate) that helps with motion sickness.

Also try not to look out the window and read (the change in scene wreaks havoc with your nervous system and makes you feel sick).

Ginger and mint can help settle your stomach.  You can chew the raw ginger, or drink ginger or mint tea, or suck ginger or mint candy.

Eat on time because "gas" build up in your gut can make you feel sick.

All the best.  Hope you enjoy your trip.