Other conditions that may present similarly include vestibular disorders such as benign paroxysmal positional vertigo and vestibular migraine and stroke. Treatment
Treatment may include behavioral measures or medications. Behavioral measures
Behavioral measures to decrease motion sickness include holding the head still and lying on the back. Focusing on the horizon may also be useful. Listening to music, mindful breathing, being the driver, and not reading while moving are other techniques.Habituation is the most effective technique but requires significant time. It is often used by the military for pilots. These techniques must be carried out at least every week to retain effectiveness.A head-worn, computer device with a transparent display can be used to mitigate the effects of motion sickness (and spatial disorientation) if visual indicators of the wearers head position are shown. Such a device functions by providing the wearer with digital reference lines in their field of vision that indicate the horizons position relative to the users head. This is accomplished by combining readings from accelerometers and gyroscopes mounted in the device. This technology has been implemented in both standalone devices and Google Glass. One promising looking treatment is to wear LCD shutter glasses that create a stroboscopic vision of 4 Hz with a dwell of 10 milliseconds. Medication
Three types of medications are useful: antimuscarinics such as scopolamine, H1 antihistamines such as dimenhydrinate, and amphetamines such as dexamphetamine. Benefits are greater if used before the onset of symptoms or shortly after symptoms begin. Side effects, however, may limit the use of medications.
Rarely severe symptoms such as the inability to walk, ongoing vomiting, or social isolation may occur while rare complications may include dehydration, electrolyte problems, or a lower esophageal tear from severe vomiting. Cause
Motion sickness can be divided into three categories:
Motion sickness caused by motion that is felt but not seen, as in terrestrial motion sickness;
Motion sickness caused by motion that is seen but not felt, as in space motion sickness;
Motion sickness caused when both systems detect motion but they do not correspond, as in either terrestrial or space motion sickness. Motion felt but not seen
In these cases, motion is sensed by the vestibular system and hence the motion is felt, but no motion or little motion is detected by the visual system, as in terrestrial motion sickness. Carsickness
A specific form of terrestrial motion sickness, being carsick is quite common and evidenced by disorientation while reading a map, a book, or a small screen during travel. Carsickness results from the sensory conflict arising in the brain from differing sensory inputs. Motion sickness is caused by a conflict between signals arriving in the brain from the inner ear, which forms the base of the vestibular system, the sensory apparatus that deals with movement and balance, and which detects motion mechanically. If someone is looking at a stationary object within a vehicle, such as a magazine, their eyes will inform their brain that what they are viewing is not moving. Their inner ears, however, will contradict this by sensing the motion of the vehicle.Varying theories exist as to cause.