What is Sea Sickness, Why Does it Happen, and How to Prevent It?
Sea sickness is a form of motion sickness and occurs after spending some time on a craft on water. This type of sickness is brought about by the rocking motion of the craft and is characterized by nausea and in extreme cases, vertigo. Some people are vulnerable to the condition after only a minor stimulus while some are immune, and others immune through exposure.
Causes or Triggers for Sea Sickness
Sea sickness is not a virus and is not infectious. There are some factors that can bring on sea sickness relatively quickly. These include going below deck for extended periods of time, looking through binoculars for long periods, and staring at objects your brain will interpret as stable (reading, needlework, and the like).
Preventing Sea Sickness
There are some methods to help deal with sea sickness without the use of medications. Here are some tips to help prevent sea sickness:
- Staying busy and keeping your mind occupied like fishing.
- Staying on deck in the fresh air.
- Take deep breaths and drink plenty of water.
- Don’t cruise on an empty stomach.
- Try and sleep off the sickness.
- Cruise in relatively calm waters.
- Cruise in vessels equipped with stabilizers to help eliminate the rocking motion that causes sea sickness.
All of these tips will help distract your brain from the rocking motion. Keeping occupied is important as it helps trick the brain into believing that you are uncomfortable from the constant rocking motion of the vessel. The fresh air also helps eliminate the sickness rather than staying indoors or in your cabin the whole time. While it may also be best not to cruise on an empty stomach, it should be remembered that fatty and spicy foods are not the best type of food to stock on before going on a cruise as this can trigger sea sickness.