Seasickness is not as serious a condition as hypothermia, but it can spoil a fun day. Being seasick will also make a person more prone to hypothermia if they should be unfortunate enough to fall overboard as well. Some people are more prone to seasickness than others, but no one is completely immune. And even if you don’t suffer from seasickness yourself, it’s no fun to have to take care of someone who does.

Generally, those who are in a healthy, rested, and energetic condition are less susceptible to seasickness. Accordingly, alcohol, illness, and lack of sleep can all increase the chances of being seasick.

Prevention

Sometimes people who know they are prone to seasickness are able to take preventative measures, but success varies. Generally, anything that settles the stomach – e.g. carbonated drinks, ginger products, staying hydrated, getting fresh air, small frequent snacks rather than big heavy meals – can be used to prevent seasickness. Over the counter medications such as Dramamine are available, and more powerful prescription drugs can be obtained through a doctor.

Why Sailing is like Dancing

Most people get dizzy when they spin around in circles, but not experienced dancers. They manage to twirl around and around all day without the vomit-inducing sickness that we mortals would experience.

So how do they do it? Well, if you’ve ever watched closely or even taken a dancing class, you might notice that the trick is to control your eyes.

You pick a spot on the wall and focus on it, keeping your head and eyes still while the rest of your body turns. Just at the last moment, when the body has almost completed a full revolution, and you can no longer hold your head still without breaking your neck, you whip your head around as quickly as you can and find same spot you were looking at. This action minimizes the disorienting dizziness that normally accompanies spinning around.

The mechanisms in your head that control balance and dizziness when you spin around also cause seasickness. So to fight seasickness, you must control your head, much like a dancer. One way to keep your head stable is to focus your eyes on something that is not moving, i.e., the horizon.

OK, that was a very long winded way of telling you to look at the horizon if you want to fight off an approaching bout of seasickness, but at least now you have a good story when you want to explain it to your passengers.

This – along with the lack of fresh air – is why the cabin is the worst place to be if you’re prone to seasickness. Your view of the horizon is blocked, so you have nothing steady to focus on.

Another way to keep your head level is to stand up and hold on to something. By allowing your knees to bend, you can absorb some of the motion of the boat, keeping your head more stable.

The captain can minimize the motion of the boat by avoiding a heading that is perpendicular to the waves. All these actions are indented to achieve the same result: keeping your head as steady as possible.

Cause:

• One part of your balance-sensing system (your inner ear, eyes, and sensory nerves) senses that your body is moving, but the other parts don’t.
• For example, if you are in the cabin of a moving ship, your inner ear may sense the motion of waves, but your eyes don’t see any movement.

Seasickness Prevention