by Aliyeus J

Created on: September 04, 2010

Traveling aboard a cruise ship can be a great way to spend a vacation, but when the fun is snatched away by a bout of sea sickness, the onset of nausea, stomach cramps, and vomiting will have you floating in a sea of misery.

Some people never experience sea sickness, but that doesn't necessarily mean that there are folks that are simply prone to the ailment whereas others are not, and can rest assured they will never have to suffer through it. The truth of the matter is, every water vessel is different, and of course, the life of the sea will be unique each time you set sail. You never know when the great and mighty sea may play havoc on even the strongest of stomachs, so it doesn't hurt to know a thing or two about what one can do to avoid the mini disaster of harboring sea sickness.

What is Sea Sickness, and Why Does it Occur?

Sea sickness occurs because of conflicting signals being sent to the brain. We're used to being on land, and our bodies have a way of alerting us when that changes. Our bodies balance center (our inner ear) is suddenly thrown off when we step onto a see-saw, un-leveled platform. As much as a ship's platform may seem level, it becomes un-leveled while held within the crib of the sea. And sometimes our bodies core just falls out of balance a little too quickly for our brains to catch up in time to synchronize. A good way to think of it, is to imagine yourself blindfolded and spinning around a while. When suddenly you're stopped, and the blindfold comes off, you're likely dizzy, and disoriented because you just set your inner core out of balance. Well, sea sickness occurs much the same way, the sea and the ship can have a way of spinning you about.

So, to avoid sea sickness, your best option would be to begin preventative measures well in advance to embarking upon the ship. You may say to yourself, “well, maybe I won't get sick,” but unfortunately, once sea sickness sets in, you're pretty much doomed to suffer through, as the ailment takes its course, or rather until you have managed to acquire your “sea legs.”  In a lot of ways, sea sickness is a state of mind and not an ailment at all, and if you can embark upon your cruise and allow your brain to easily adjust to its new and alien surroundings, you will likely free yourself from experiencing sea sickness. But for those who fear they will need an adjustment period to acclimate to the world of the sea, do yourself a favor, and purchase over the counter medicine

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