Car sickness, aka motion sickness.
According to encyclopedia.com, nearly 80% of the general population has, at least one time in their life had motion sickness. It’s a fairly common problem that can cause nausea, vomiting and in general a lot of discomfort during car/truck travel.
What causes car sickness?
Dr Gupta, CNN chief medical correspondent says the condition is a disequilibrium. Basically a discrepancy between the senses. Whilst your eyes might be telling your brain about your movement, your ears may be telling it something different. Such as whether you are moving, not moving, which direction and at what speed.
Which cars are best if you have car sickness?
This was going to be the original title of this article, however, after conducting some research, it was clear this was no easy task to define. In a Bachelor of Science Thesis on behalf of Volvo Cars study by NATHALIE KARLSSON and HELENA TJÄRNBRO the conclusion states, “Due to the large individual differences it is almost impossible to guarantee a car that does not cause motion sickness”. Having done my own research, I came up with the same answer. Some people get car sick due to the smell, others the view and then there’s the suspension. All of these could be contributing factors, but some will be more relevant for one person and maybe not another. For example, one person preferred a stiffer suspension set up, whilst another felt more comfortable in the softer suspension.
The short answer is, test drive a variety of vehicles (and ride as a passenger) to see which one works for you!
Tips for avoiding car sickness
- Be a driver if at all possible (it seems people are more susceptible to motion sickness as a passenger and esp in the rear seats).
- If you must be a passenger, look out the front window and look for the horizon in the distance.
- Products are available on the market such as medications or sea bands.
- Reduce strong odors in the vehicle.
- Open or crack the windows to allow fresh air in the vehicle.
- If you are a passenger with a bad driver, let them know you how fell so they can try to drive more smoothly.
- Be smooth with gear shifts (in a manual transmission).
- Avoid reading
- Eat a light meal before traveling
- Don’t have the heater blasting on full hot
Do you suffer from car sickness? Which vehicles make it better/worse?
If you’d like to help us out with some research to compile a list of cars and trucks that make it worse or better let us know. Do you know what causes your specific kind of motion/car sickness? Did you ever get in one vehicle that was so bad you couldn’t bare it. Which vehicle do you drive to make it bearable? Do your kids suffer from car sickness, if so, what do you do to make it easier for them? Do low profile side windows help or hinder? Let us know, by commenting below, send us a message on Facebook or send us an email, [email protected].
CNN. “How CNN’s Dr. Gupta Treats His Carsickness.” CNN, Cable News Network, 2008, www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/07/15/car.sick/index.html.
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