Identifying and Dealing with Seasickness

TLDR:

• Pay attention to triggers/what worsens seasickness for you and learn to work around them

  • Common ones: temperature, hydration, visual stimulation (lack of horizon visibility), position on vessel

• Almost everybody gets at least somewhat sick during the first few days of a voyage

  • Preventative medication is always good - take 30-90 mins before movement

• There are Non-drug and Drug remedies to seasickness nausea/sensations

• Prioritize utilizing non-drug remedies to allow your body to naturally acclimate to at-sea conditions before pounding your system with medication from the very start (which you might cause you to relying on medication for much longer)

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Seasickness is different for everyone!!!

As someone who has spent lots of time on boats of all shapes and sizes in all types of weather conditions, I’ve learned a thing or two about management for myself, and from others/their stories. Here are a few notes about seasickness to help unpack this quirky at-sea sensation.

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If it’s your first time at sea, I have a few pointers

• You’ll most likely experience at least SOME seasickness the first few days (most people do, no matter how experienced they are). I’ve only met a couple of very lucky individuals who claim to have never felt seasickness at any extent!

• Pay close attention to your triggers for seasickness if this is your first time out at sea, especially in those early days of your voyage.

• Sometimes SPECIFIC conditions make nausea worse - identify them for yourself and your body, and see if there are quick fixes that reverse the sensation

  • For me, sickness is triggered by things like heat, being enclosed in a stuffy room, eyes focused on a single thing for a long time, and lack of hydration/food.

  • Other common triggers among folks include smells (fuel/diesel), sensations (clothing too tight), and position in the vessel.

  • Bonus: Identify a trigger that has more relief control than others. If you fix that condition, maybe the others won’t worsen the nausea as badly.

    • In my time, I learned that I can exist perfectly fine in some of these typical trigger conditions, so long as I keep cool - I’ve learned that temperature is my biggest trigger.

There are two types of fixes for seasickness to consider: Non-Drug vs Drug

BEFORE WE BEGIN, a tip: If you can help it, consider non-drug fixes FIRST before jumping straight into full-dose drug fixes.

• Your body will adjust faster to at-sea movement, and you’ll feel less nausea naturally without needing medication if it’s exposed to the elements uninhibited.

• If you drug yourself up with medication constantly, it will take longer for you to build resistance to seasickness naturally, and you might be stuck taking the medication the ENTIRE time you’re out at sea.

• However, if you are just naturally prone to seasickness and it’s unbearable to not take medication, do what’s best for you and take it if needed to feel comfortable!!!

COMMON NON-DRUG FIXES:

• Temperature - Changing Environment + Clothing

  • Artificial cooler temperatures - bring a TINY personal clip-on USB powered fan for your bunk

  • Lighter clothing and additional layer if ever you do get too cold - especially if working in tropical conditions with dramatic temp differences

• Horizon Line - having the horizon visible can help your brain and body coordinate themselves and ease nausea

• Get lower in the ship - mid/lower decks sway less than the top/higher decks

• Be horizontal! If you aren’t actively working on something and feel horrible, being horizontal and closing your eyes can help

• Stuff to sniff! - peppermint essential oils, isopropyl alcohol pads, vicks, anything to distract the nose from odors that worsen symptoms/nausea.

  • Use a mask/KN95 to block triggering odors.

• Dry foods - dry crackers have worked WONDERS for an upset stomach. Skyflakes were in ABUNDANCE in previous expeditions ;)
  

• The following personally don’t work for me, but I have seen it work for many other people!

  • Ginger Candies/Ale - this personally doesn’t work for me, but I have seen it work for many other people!

  • Balance/Pressure Bands

COMMON DRUG FIXES:

• Dramamine - Works great BUT it makes me SUPER drowsy

  • I’d recommend getting the non-drowsy variation for daytime use, then normal for nighttime use.

  • Better yet, get chewable dramamine for times when you forget to refill your water bottle and are feeling particularly crappy in your bunk and don’t want to get up.

  • If you aren’t absolutely dying of nausea, break the pills in half and try just talking a BIT of the medication to help speed along the body’s process to adjust to movement naturally.

• Bonine (less drowsy than Dramamine)

• Scopolamine (patch - often prescription only)

  • Haven’t used it myself, but some have great success with Scopolamine,

  • Others get crazy migraines/headaches
    
    

• Below are a few more drug fixes, but my colleagues and I are less experienced with them, but they exist!

  • Promethazine (Phenergan): Should be taken two hours before travel. 

  • Cyclizine (Marezine): Works best when taken at least 30 minutes before travel.