Motion sickness
Motion sickness occurs due to a difference between actual and expected motion.[1][2][4] Symptoms commonly include nausea, vomiting, cold sweat, headache, dizziness, tiredness, loss of appetite, and increased salivation.[1][5] Complications may rarely include dehydration, electrolyte problems, or a lower esophageal tear.[2]
For other uses, see Motion Sickness (disambiguation).Motion sickness
Kinetosis, travel sickness, seasickness, airsickness, carsickness, simulation sickness, space motion sickness, space adaptation syndrome
Nausea, vomiting, cold sweat, increased salivation[1][2]
Based on symptoms[2]
Avoidance of triggers[2]
Behavioral measures, medications[3]
Generally resolve within a day[2]
Nearly all people with sufficient motion; roughly one-third highly susceptible[3]
The cause of motion sickness is either real or perceived motion.[2] This may include car travel, air travel, sea travel, space travel, or reality simulation.[2] Risk factors include pregnancy, migraines, and Ménière's disease.[2] The diagnosis is based on symptoms.[2]
Treatment may include behavioral measures or medications.[3] Behavioral measures include keeping the head still and focusing on the horizon.[6][7] Three types of medications are useful: antimuscarinics such as scopolamine, H1 antihistamines such as dimenhydrinate, and amphetamines such as dexamphetamine.[3] Side effects, however, may limit the use of medications.[3] A number of medications used for nausea such as ondansetron are not effective for motion sickness.[3]
Nearly all people are affected with sufficient motion[2] and most people will experience motion sickness at least once in their lifetime.[8] Susceptibility, however, is variable, with about one-third of the population being highly susceptible while most other people are affected under extreme conditions.[2] Women are more easily affected than men.[9] Motion sickness has been described since at least the time of Homer (c. eighth century BC).[10]
Signs and symptoms[edit]
Symptoms commonly include nausea, vomiting, cold sweat, headache, dizziness, tiredness, loss of appetite, and increased salivation.[2][5] Occasionally, tiredness can last for hours to days after an episode of motion sickness, known as "sopite syndrome".[2] Rarely severe symptoms such as the inability to walk, ongoing vomiting, or social isolation may occur while rare complications may include dehydration, electrolyte problems, or a lower esophageal tear from severe vomiting.[2]
Diagnosis[edit]
The diagnosis is based on symptoms.[2] Other conditions that may present similarly include vestibular disorders such as benign paroxysmal positional vertigo and vestibular migraine and stroke.[2]
Epidemiology[edit]
Roughly one-third of people are highly susceptible to motion sickness, and most of the rest get motion sick under extreme conditions. Around 80% of the general population is susceptible to cases of medium to high motion sickness. The rates of space motion sickness have been estimated at between forty and eighty percent of those who enter weightless orbit. Several factors influence susceptibility to motion sickness, including sleep deprivation and the cubic footage allocated to each space traveler. Studies indicate that women are more likely to be affected than men,[2] and that the risk decreases with advancing age. There is some evidence that people with Asian ancestry may develop motion sickness more frequently than people of European ancestry, and there are situational and behavioral factors, such as whether a passenger has a view of the road ahead, and diet and eating behaviors.[51]