Dealing With Motion Sickness

The last thing anyone wants to have is their wonderful cruise vacation ruined by motion sickness. Although being on a large cruise ship generally lessens the affect of the water on nausea, some people still have issues and find themselves facing the illness.
If you know that you are prone to seasickness or motion sickness, contact your doctor before you leave. He can prescribe an anti-nausea prescription. Another medical solution is to find an over-the-counter (OTC) brand that will help. There are many OTC options out there, and most of them work similarly. Check with friends or family, at least one will have experience taking some of these pills and can generally steer you in the correct direction.
If you are against modern medical choices, another ingested option is to chew on a piece of ginger. Ginger has been proven to aid in the reduction of nausea and up to one gram of powdered form is shown to be a safe alternative for pregnant women.
If none of these options are available for you by the time you realize the motion in the ocean is getting to you, there are a few things you can do to help on board the ship.
1. Lie down in a dark room – close your curtains and shut the lights off. This will relax your eyes and lying down will make the movement less noticeable.
2. Face the wind – the air in your face will help settle your stomach. Make sure, however, if this doesn’t help, that you turn away from the wind before vomiting or you will regret it.
3. Head for the middle of the ship – The interior of the ship experiences less shifting from the waves. Less movement should keep your nausea at least down to a manageable level if the edges of the ship are too much to handle.
While any of these tricks has been known to relieve motion-related nausea, none of them may be strong enough on their own to handle you illness. Work with them trying multiple ones at a time until you are able to enjoy your vacation. Especially if you are just beginning to take medication or chew ginger, you may want to head for the middle of the ship until the medicine takes effect – otherwise you may find yourself to oil for the pill to help.
If you find that none of these options are allowing to you get out and about on the ship, check with the ship’s doctor. They are trained and accustomed to helping passengers with this issue and may be able to help more than natural options or the advice of a doctor that works on land. They are certain to be able to find a way for you to enjoy your vacation.