The Traveller's Magazine
Scientists have said that small electricity shocks, to stimulate parts of the brain, could ease the symptoms of motion sickness.
The team at Imperial College London have said the that study on 20 people could suggest that the method could have similar effects as travel medications but without the drowsiness.
When traveling it’s the mixed messages coming from your ears and eyes that confuse the brain and cause nausea, headaches and sickness.
The team used “transcranial direct current stimulation” to try to manipulate the part of the brain that interprets messages whilst people were made to feel nauseous by a device called the ‘chunder chair’. Twenty volunteers were place in the ‘chunder chair’ which twisted and span around like a fairground ride.
The results found that with the stimulation, it took an extra 207 seconds, on average, for motion sickness to develop. Furthermore the treatment improved recovery time.
Many health experts are treating this study with skepticism until larger trials back their findings, until then this study is in its very early stages of development. The study looks promising but if you suffer from travel sickness unfortunately we doubt they’ll have the treatment confirmed for your next flight or ferry.
