Help for relieving motion sickness on the trolley/light rail?
October 26, 2014 5:31 AM Subscribe
My partner becomes motion sick shortly after getting on the trolley. She feels very nauseated within a couple of minutes. The trolley tends to accelerate and decelerate rapidly at each stop, and when the trolley is underground the ride can be fairly bumpy. Is there anything she can do to prevent or treat this, ideally without having to take medication?
She's not interested in taking Dramamine every day primarily because her rides are very short - usually 15-20 minutes maximum. Bonine doesn't seem to work for her.
Thanks!
*This is the Philadelphia trolley system, aka subway-surface lines running between West Philadelphia and Center City.
She's not interested in taking Dramamine every day primarily because her rides are very short - usually 15-20 minutes maximum. Bonine doesn't seem to work for her.
Thanks!
*This is the Philadelphia trolley system, aka subway-surface lines running between West Philadelphia and Center City.
Don't try to read or do anything that includes trying to concentrate on a stationary object while the trolley is in motion: look out, see the motion --- motion sickness is usually caused by the disconnect between your body telling your brain "we're moving!" (the fluid in your inner ears is sloshing around) and your eyes telling your brain "no we're not, we're stationary!" The brain gets confused by the competing info.
posted by easily confused at 5:36 AM on October 26, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by easily confused at 5:36 AM on October 26, 2014 [3 favorites]
I eat a couple of lumps of crystallised ginger the second I start to feel queasy -- not before the ride starts; that doesn't work. It's always stopped me from throwing up so far.
As a child in West Virginia, I used to throw up on practically every car ride until I started chewing gum in the car. I seem to recall that I also found humming helped; don't ask me why.
posted by Perodicticus potto at 5:47 AM on October 26, 2014 [1 favorite]
As a child in West Virginia, I used to throw up on practically every car ride until I started chewing gum in the car. I seem to recall that I also found humming helped; don't ask me why.
posted by Perodicticus potto at 5:47 AM on October 26, 2014 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thanks for the answers so far!
I should have mentioned the things she's already tried: mint works to quell the nausea somewhat, heavily flavored ginger seems to make her feel worse (although capsules are definitely worth a try). Unsurprisingly, standing up makes her feel significantly worse than sitting down, and the fact that the trolley cars can be overheated doesn't help.
posted by brackish.line at 5:48 AM on October 26, 2014
I should have mentioned the things she's already tried: mint works to quell the nausea somewhat, heavily flavored ginger seems to make her feel worse (although capsules are definitely worth a try). Unsurprisingly, standing up makes her feel significantly worse than sitting down, and the fact that the trolley cars can be overheated doesn't help.
posted by brackish.line at 5:48 AM on October 26, 2014
motion sickness is usually caused by the disconnect between your body telling your brain "we're moving!" (the fluid in your inner ears is sloshing around) and your eyes telling your brain "no we're not, we're stationary!"
Sometimes, just closing the eyes can help.
posted by radwolf76 at 6:21 AM on October 26, 2014
Sometimes, just closing the eyes can help.
posted by radwolf76 at 6:21 AM on October 26, 2014
Motion sickness bracelet
They can usually be found at drugstores and are $10 or less. They work by putting a little pressure on the pulse point of your wrist.
Might be worth a try.
posted by MadMadam at 6:26 AM on October 26, 2014 [1 favorite]
They can usually be found at drugstores and are $10 or less. They work by putting a little pressure on the pulse point of your wrist.
Might be worth a try.
posted by MadMadam at 6:26 AM on October 26, 2014 [1 favorite]
I find that reLly strongly flavoured hard candies - like lemon or lime - will sometimes help. There is something about the strong sour flavour that settles my stomach. (Though the name is terrible she could try "preggy pop drops" - they are intended for morning sickness but could help with nausea otherwise.")
posted by machine at 6:27 AM on October 26, 2014
posted by machine at 6:27 AM on October 26, 2014
I got very nauseated in the ocean once (life jacket + lots of waves) and the snorkeling leader told me to flip on my back and float while he held my hand. At that point I felt much better. I surmised it was because previously I was fighting the waves instead of moving with them (and also seeing only the sky). Similarly in cars I find fighting the stop/start makes it worse. Is there any way your partner can allow her body to wiggle with the start/stop a little more, allowing herself the inertia of accelerating or decelerating instead of fighting it to keep her ideal position. Not sure if I've explained it clearly but I hope you get my idea.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 6:28 AM on October 26, 2014
posted by St. Peepsburg at 6:28 AM on October 26, 2014
If she can sit at the front of the trolley it may help.
I used to take the trolley out to Upper Darby from West Philly and found that if I sat toward the back it was much worse. Lots and lots of looking out the window helped as well.
posted by sciencegeek at 7:20 AM on October 26, 2014
I used to take the trolley out to Upper Darby from West Philly and found that if I sat toward the back it was much worse. Lots and lots of looking out the window helped as well.
posted by sciencegeek at 7:20 AM on October 26, 2014
I get seasick on wet grass, things that help me include ginger or ginger ale, strong peppermint candy like altoids when I start to think hmm am I feeling queasy, runs or other antacids at the same point. They don't stop it but for a short trip like this they help me get to the end without feeling wretched.
posted by wwax at 7:41 AM on October 26, 2014
posted by wwax at 7:41 AM on October 26, 2014
I get nauseated just about every day riding the Blue line here in DC. One thing that's helped me is to sit in the seats that are facing backward from the direction that the train is moving. I think this has something to do with the fact that when the train lurches forward, my back is already pressed against the seat. That one millisecond allows my brain to anticipate the next jerky movement, and keeps the mind-body connection in-sync with the fact that the train is actually moving. Conversely, if I sit in the forward-facing seats, I will lurch forward at every.single.jerking.motion.
I'm not sure how the subway seats are arranged in Philly, but if there are different arrangements (i.e., forward and backward-facing, sideways, etc), has your partner noticed if one is direction is slightly less worse than the others?
posted by invisible ink at 7:51 AM on October 26, 2014
I'm not sure how the subway seats are arranged in Philly, but if there are different arrangements (i.e., forward and backward-facing, sideways, etc), has your partner noticed if one is direction is slightly less worse than the others?
posted by invisible ink at 7:51 AM on October 26, 2014
Ice pack on the wrist or back off the neck helps me, regardless of the temperature outside or inside the train car.
posted by crush-onastick at 7:58 AM on October 26, 2014
posted by crush-onastick at 7:58 AM on October 26, 2014
There's some recent research about a possible connection between H. pylori bacteria and motion sickness. So this might seem kind of wacky, but it's also harmless and "good for you anyway": suggest your friend try drinking ~8 oz. of kombucha a day. My doctor recommended this for an entirely different GI problem, and I was rather skeptical at first, but I figured "oh well it's just food", so I gave it a try.
The reasoning here is that it might set the GI house in order, which could have an effect on motion sickness.
And if it doesn't, it's just food (if a somewhat expensive one).
posted by biersquirrel at 8:23 AM on October 26, 2014
The reasoning here is that it might set the GI house in order, which could have an effect on motion sickness.
And if it doesn't, it's just food (if a somewhat expensive one).
posted by biersquirrel at 8:23 AM on October 26, 2014
Oh, and ginger (the classic, pre-pharmaceutical age Rx for motion sickness) is a common flavor of kombucha.
posted by biersquirrel at 8:39 AM on October 26, 2014
posted by biersquirrel at 8:39 AM on October 26, 2014
Seconding ginger ale (which is much less strongly flavored). I find the carbonation helps with nausea (seems to be worse for me when I've swallowed a lot of air).
Sea Bands did nothing for me, unfortunately.
(Though the name is terrible she could try "preggy pop drops" - they are intended for morning sickness but could help with nausea otherwise.")
Similar product from the same people, with a better name.
posted by kathryn at 8:51 AM on October 26, 2014
Sea Bands did nothing for me, unfortunately.
(Though the name is terrible she could try "preggy pop drops" - they are intended for morning sickness but could help with nausea otherwise.")
Similar product from the same people, with a better name.
posted by kathryn at 8:51 AM on October 26, 2014
I get the same kind of motion sickness on jerky subways/trolleys, and I find that making sure I have a big bottle of ice-cold water with me really helps (it's also good for the overheating problem). It doesn't stop the motion sickness entirely, but drinking a lot of really cold water somehow makes it more bearable.
posted by snaw at 8:53 AM on October 26, 2014
posted by snaw at 8:53 AM on October 26, 2014
I wear Sea Bands when I take the subway. I don't know if they actually work or it's a placebo effect but I get results.
posted by OsoMeaty at 9:00 AM on October 26, 2014
posted by OsoMeaty at 9:00 AM on October 26, 2014
I've learned that a lot of my motion sickness is actually anxiety about getting motion sick. As soon as I *wonder* whether I'll get queasy on this trip, I get queasy. From there it becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy.
I'm not expert at it, but mindfulness and mindful breathing can take me out of that cycle. If I focus on my breathing and only my breathing, it takes the focus away from my stomach, and from there I'm better. It's a mental challenge, for me, not to go back to the wondering/predicting, but when I can avoid it, I have a much easier trip.
Hand in hand with that: The first indication of motion sickness for many people (and for me), is what's called "stomach awareness." One of the theories on why people (like me) get less motion sick when they're the driver, as opposed to the passenger, is that they have too many things to focus on to give their stomach much attention. So, on the trolley, she could try to focus on other things -- doing math problems in her head, for example. Humming a specific song actually helps me, oddly.
And one final thing that works for me, but may not be applicable to her: I can often quell motion sickness if I take off my glasses. I'm as blind as a bat without them. Not being able to see, but still having my eyes open, does something for it, though I'm not exactly sure what.
(Also, Dramamine makes a Less Drowsy formula. I'll sometimes take half of one just in case. It works, and doesn't make me sleepy. Oh, and for me, the Sea Bands were a waste of money.)
posted by mudpuppie at 10:37 AM on October 26, 2014
I'm not expert at it, but mindfulness and mindful breathing can take me out of that cycle. If I focus on my breathing and only my breathing, it takes the focus away from my stomach, and from there I'm better. It's a mental challenge, for me, not to go back to the wondering/predicting, but when I can avoid it, I have a much easier trip.
Hand in hand with that: The first indication of motion sickness for many people (and for me), is what's called "stomach awareness." One of the theories on why people (like me) get less motion sick when they're the driver, as opposed to the passenger, is that they have too many things to focus on to give their stomach much attention. So, on the trolley, she could try to focus on other things -- doing math problems in her head, for example. Humming a specific song actually helps me, oddly.
And one final thing that works for me, but may not be applicable to her: I can often quell motion sickness if I take off my glasses. I'm as blind as a bat without them. Not being able to see, but still having my eyes open, does something for it, though I'm not exactly sure what.
(Also, Dramamine makes a Less Drowsy formula. I'll sometimes take half of one just in case. It works, and doesn't make me sleepy. Oh, and for me, the Sea Bands were a waste of money.)
posted by mudpuppie at 10:37 AM on October 26, 2014
My daughter gets bad motion sickness. the Seabands do help, as does ensuring she has something in her stomach.
posted by heathrowga at 10:56 AM on October 26, 2014
posted by heathrowga at 10:56 AM on October 26, 2014
Like invisible ink, I used to commute on the DC Metro. But what helped me was riding in the sideways-facing seats.
posted by mon-ma-tron at 5:11 PM on October 26, 2014
posted by mon-ma-tron at 5:11 PM on October 26, 2014
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posted by hollyholly at 5:33 AM on October 26, 2014 [5 favorites]