Nausea is the worst, whether it’s from morning sickness or motion sickness. Acupressure can help.
I swear, gentlemen, that to be too conscious is an illness—
a real thorough-going illness.
-Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Notes from Underground
I received this product for free from Moms Meet (momsmeet.com) to use and post my honest opinions. Compensation for this post was provided and this page may contain affiliate links.
When I was young I went on allllllll the rides.
One time, I remember, my dad got on one too. Nothing too wild, mind, but maybe the pirate ship that just swung back and forth.
Just once. Afterwards, he told me never again. And he totally kept his word.
I remember laughing at the idea that he would get such severe motion sickness from such a relatively mild ride.
Getting old, friends. It kind of bites.
I took the kids to Diggerland and they rode this thing over and over and over and over. Basically it just hurtles you in a fast, tight circle.
I couldn’t bring myself to do it.
I couldn’t even do this ride without wishing it would end soon.
Heck, last time I was on a merry go round I got a little bit of vertigo. I wasn’t even on a horse! I sat on a bench with one of my little nieces.
I also can’t ride these windy rural roads with my husband driving. Reading in a moving car, even just to set the GPS or check an incoming text message? Forget about it. You’re on your own as navigator, I’m over here trying to keep my lunch in my stomach where it belongs.
Riding on a subway or bus when it’s hot and crowded? I’m starting to psych myself out before the thing even starts moving.
Acupressure for morning sickness and motion sickness relief
Acupressure is a close cousin to acupuncture, but instead of using needles at certain places in the body you apply pressure. While I’ve never tried acupuncture myself, I know people who swear that it has worked for them. Acupressure is the same principle, but much more practical when on-the-go.
To combat motion sickness (or morning sickness, or other forms of nausea) using acupressure, you’ll want to apply pressure to stimulate your P6 or “Nei Kuan” points. These are the easiest to locate and handle: on your inner wrist, three fingers down from where your arm meets your hand. You can apply pressure by pressing down with a finger, tapping on the point with a pen, or you can use a specially made wristband.
Using Sea-Bands to combat nausea
Sea-Bands offer drug-free relief from motion sickness, morning sickness, chemotherapy related nausea and post-operative nausea. These are knitted elastic bands (you need to wear both for peak effectiveness) with a plastic bead placed just so so as to apply pressure to those Nei Kuan points. Since there’s no drug involved, they’re suitable for kids, pregnant women and those with medication sensitivities.
Do motion sickness bands work?
I didn’t get a chance to try my Sea-Bands on a spinny ride or roller coaster, sadly, but I did wear them while regretting letting my husband drive me on the back roads.
The science is iffy on how much perceived effectiveness relies on a placebo effect (although a University of Pittsburgh Medical Center study used Sea-Bands acupressure on post-op patients and found that the incidence of nausea was reduced to 10% – a two-thirds reduction). But as I’ve said before: I’m cool with the placebo effect as long as I feel better. Whatever works, man.
In any case, within a few minutes of wearing the bands I can definitely feel something happening, and it’s suitably distracting that I wasn’t psyching myself out and having to pointedly control my breathing in an effort to not get sick.
Motion sickness and morning sickness are truly miserable experiences, especially since you can feel them coming a mile away and worrying about it just intensifies the misery. Sea-Bands might work for you— it’s definitely worth a try!
Other ways to ward off motion sickness
Along with the bands, try these tricks:
- While in a vehicle, face front and try not to watch the scenery rushing by through side windows.
- Keep talking if you can, to keep your mind occupied so you don’t start psyching yourself out.
- Open a window and breathe that fresh air.
- Don’t travel on an empty stomach, but don’t eat anything that’s going to encourage your stomach to do flip flops either. Graham crackers and saltines have been my lifesavers.
- Some people do well sucking on a mint or other sort of lozenge. Sea-Bands offers these ginger lozenges; ginger is a popular anti-nausea remedy. They’re tasty.
You can purchase Sea-Bands on their website or on Amazon, as well as in pharmacies and drug chains. Let me know how they work out for you!
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