7 Ways to Get Rid of Motion Sickness

If you’ve experienced motion sickness, you know how awful it can be. For some, just thinking about it brings on a wave of gut-clenching unease. 

Even though motion sickness can be very uncomfortable, it isn’t an illness. It’s your body’s normal response to motion. The good news is you can stop motion sickness once it has started. And you can even keep it from starting. Here are seven science-backed ways to fight motion sickness.

What causes motion sickness? 

Motion sickness happens when your brain gets conflicting information about how you’re moving. To figure out if you’re moving and how to respond, your brain depends on input from your eyes, inner ear, and your body’s position. 

Normally, if you move, the environment around you changes. But sometimes you might be still while the environment around you moves (like in a car). Other times you might be moving even though the environment around you looks like it’s not moving (like in the cabin of a boat or plane). Or you might be still, but it looks like things are moving around you (like in a simulation ride or virtual-reality game). 

In these situations, your brain gets confused and doesn’t know how to respond. The end result is that you feel motion sickness. 

Why does motion sickness happen to some people but not everybody?

Anyone can experience motion sickness, but some people need more of a trigger than others. 

Your risk of feeling motion sickness goes up depending on the type of movement:

• Seasickness is the most common type of motion sickness. About 25% of people on cruise ships report motion sickness. 

• Car sickness is the second most common type. About 5% of people get carsick.

• Only 1% of people feel sick on trains and planes.

People are also more likely to feel motion sick if they're:

• Younger: Toddlers and infants don’t get motion sick. But children, teens, and young adults are most susceptible to motion sickness. As you get older, you're less likely to feel motion sickness.

• Pregnant: Like morning sickness, you're at higher risk for motion sickness during pregnancy because of hormone changes. This also may explain why people going through menopause also have a higher risk of feeling motion sick.

• Less active: People who are more physically active are less likely to develop motion sickness — another great reason to add movement into your daily routine.

• Prone to migraines or vertigo: People who experience migraines or vertigo more easily feel motion sickness, as are people with Meniere’s disease.

• Genetically prone to motion sickness: Like your height or eye color, your susceptibility for motion sickness is genetic. You’re much more likely to feel motion sick if your parents or siblings get motion sickness. And your children are twice as likely to get motion sick if you get it.

What are the symptoms of motion sickness? 

Nausea is the most common symptom of motion sickness. Other symptoms include: 

• Sluggishness

• Reduced alertness

• Frequent yawning

• Increased saliva production

• Headaches

• Cold sweats

• Vomiting

How long does motion sickness last?

Once the triggering event stops, symptoms of motion sickness disappear within a day. 

But some people can develop “sopite syndrome,” where they experience fatigue, depression, and irritability that lasts for several days. 

Less commonly, people can develop “disembarkment syndrome.” This is when people think they’re in motion even though they’re not — so they continue to feel motion sickness. The syndrome can last more than a month.

7 tips to get rid of motion sickness

If you feel motion sick, here are seven ways to feel better right away.

1. Stop what you’re doing

If you can stop the car or get off the ride, do it! Most of the time that won’t be an option. But there are things you can do within the vehicle to make yourself feel better. If you’re reading or looking at a screen, put it down. 

2. Change your position

Your position also makes a big difference in helping your brain understand what’s happening. Make sure you’re facing forward. If you’re in a boat or train, lie down. It will cut down your symptoms. If you’re in a car, sit in the front seat and focus on the distant horizon. Better yet, drive the car, since drivers are less likely to feel motion sick. 

3. Quiet your senses

When you’re motion sick, your brain is already in overdrive. Calming your other senses gives your brain the space it needs to focus on understanding your movement. And this will help relieve your symptoms. 

To reduce visual input, put on a pair of sunglasses or close your eyes. You can also listen to calming music or wear noise-canceling headphones. Take slow, deep breaths or perform breathing exercises to calm your sympathetic nervous system. You can even try light aromatherapy. Some studies show light scents can help relieve symptoms.

4. Put on a scopolamine patch

Scopolamine is a medication that calms the vomiting and balance centers in the brain, relieving nausea. It comes as a patch that you can put on the skin behind your ear. The patch lets the medicine stay in your system over a longer period of time. You also don’t have to worry about trying to swallow and keep down a pill. 

If you want an alternative to a patch, scopolamine does come in a pill form and a fast-acting nasal spray. 

Scopolamine can take several hours to start working (especially in patch form). So it’s better to put on a patch about 4 hours before you start traveling. 

People with glaucoma or an enlarged prostate shouldn’t use scopolamine. The patch is also not recommended for children under 10 years old. 

5. Take an antihistamine

If you can’t use scopolamine, or if you need more help, you can take certain antihistamines. Some antihistamines block receptors in the brain’s vomiting center. They take longer to kick in than scopolamine and are more sedating. But they do last longer than scopolamine and are available over the counter (OTC). 

Antihistamines take about 2 or 3 hours to kick in. Like scopolamine, it’s better to take these medications before you start traveling. Antihistamine options include:

• Diphenhydramine (Benadryl)

• Dimenhydrinate (Dramamine) 

• Meclizine (Antivert, Bonine)

Keep in mind that not all antihistamines relieve motion sickness. Options like cetirizine (Zyrtec) and loratadine (Claritin) won’t work. Ondansetron (Zofran) doesn’t relieve motion sickness either.

6. Eat ginger (or ginger candy)

If you aren’t a fan of medication, or you’re waiting for your scopolamine or antihistamine to kick in, you can try eating ginger or ginger candy. For centuries people have used ginger to help with nausea from morning sickness and other illnesses. Studies show that ginger can also relieve symptoms from motion sickness. 

7. Put on an acupressure bracelet

Acupressure bracelets put pressure on a point in your wrist. They’re an offshoot of acupuncture, an ancient type of medicine that many people still use today. The idea is that the bracelets relieve nausea and other motion sickness symptoms by putting pressure on a certain point. 

You can get acupressure bracelets OTC. Some studies show they relieve symptoms. And since they’re safe to use, it can be worth trying them out for yourself. 

Why trust our experts?

Written by:

Ronald W. Dworkin, MD, PhD

Ronald W. Dworkin, MD, is a board-certified anesthesiologist who has been practicing anesthesiology in a community hospital for 30 years. He has taught in the honors program at George Washington University for over 10 years and works as a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute.

Edited by:

Patricia Pinto-Garcia, MD, MPH

Patricia Pinto-Garcia, MD, MPH, is a medical editor at GoodRx. She is a licensed, board-certified pediatrician with more than a decade of experience in academic medicine.

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