• Question: Why do some people experience motion sickness but others do not?

    Asked by Emmet to Gavin, Karen, Mark, Michel, Roisin on 11 Nov 2016.
    • Photo: Michel Destrade

      Michel Destrade answered on 11 Nov 2016:

      I think motion sickness comes from your brain finding it hard to process the environment in the car not moving while the view in the windows shows that you’re moving. Everybody’s brain is different, and so there are variations across the population in how one brain can cope with movement compared to another brain.

    • Photo: Roisin Jones

      Roisin Jones answered on 11 Nov 2016:

      Like Michel said, I think it’s mostly down to variations in how different brains process things, although I do know that if you have inner ear problems, this affects your balance, which can lead to you being more prone to motion sickness, and also if you have overall low muscle tone (which is a symptom of many chronic diseases), it can lead to neck instability which can give you motion sickness even when you’re not moving!

    • Photo: Karen

      Karen answered on 13 Nov 2016:

      Hi Emmet, As the lads said motion sickness is related to signals being sent from your inner ear to your brain (similar to how you feel
      Dizzy) Although it has not been established why some people get it and others don’t there are some factors that will make an individual more prone to motion sickness. They are; pregnancy, inner ear infections, anxiety about travelling on cars, boats etc and if you are suffering from vertigo.

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