Motion Sickness
Posted By Divers Alert Network on 12 May 2004
By Dan Kinkade, DAN Medical Information Specialist
Motion sickness — it goes by terms both descriptive and outlandish: mal de mer, seasickness, hurling, chumming for sharks, upchucking, tossing your cookies, blowing chunks. Divers know all about it; even if they haven’t experienced it firsthand, they’ve likely been witness to this form of involuntary fish feeding.
Seasickness is not life-threatening, even though you might think — or wish — it were, when it’s happening. The good news: you are not alone. Ninety percent of all people will suffer from motion sickness at one time or another.
This article will explain motion sickness and offer ways to avoid or manage it while diving.
What is Motion Sickness?
Seasickness results when the eyes are seeing one thing — e.g., the inside of the boat — while the balance organ (the semicircular canals) detects another — your movement up and down. The brain gets confused, figuring out why your eyes tell it you are stationary, but your inner ear tells your brain you are moving.
Other factors can compound the problem: they include alcohol ingestion, anxiety, fatigue, odors (e.g., diesel fumes), being overheated and inner ear injury or infection. Signs and symptoms include sweating, nausea, headache, drowsiness, increased salivation and a sensation of spinning or dizziness. Vomiting may make you feel better, but the symptoms will not resolve until the inner ear acclimates to the motion or you use another form of treatment.
Seasickness tends to diminish after a few days without treatment. Generally, the more time you spend on a boat, the less severe the sickness becomes. When some individuals become acclimated to the motion, readjusting once they’re back on land may take some time.
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