What is seasickness? My wife and I, friends and colleagues, as well as our clients, have gone on cruises on the oceans more than once and seas. And, like any experienced navigator, we know everything about this unpleasant phenomenon. Seasickness manifests itself in the form of nausea, dizziness, weakness and other unpleasant symptoms when sailing on a ship.
Seasickness is not a problem for most passengers. Today it should not stop you from enjoying your cruise travels. Modern airliners provide the maximum number of available ways to combat this problem.
In this article we’ll talk about the causes of seasickness and find out whether the devil is as scary as he’s portrayed to be.
Seasickness on a cruise
If you have been seasick more than once in a small boat, this does not mean that seasickness will overtake you on a modern liner. Especially if the cruise is on a calm Mediterranean Sea.
Many people who have experienced discomfort as a result of motion sickness believe that the disease will overtake them anywhere. And in a small boat, and in a car, and even more so on a cruise ship. But this is absolutely not true.
Modern cruise ships have special stabilizers. They allow passengers to avoid motion sickness. At the same time, there are cinemas, swimming pools, spa centers, restaurants, so you can easily get distracted, which can also be considered an effective means of combating the disease. At the same time, cruise lines offer programs to reduce motion sickness, such as special exercises or massage.
Causes of seasickness, symptoms.
What is the cause of seasickness? It’s all about a person’s weak vestibular apparatus. While walking or running, a person’s vision records changes in space and transmits corresponding signals to the brain. Running or walking is the norm for the body, but moving on transport (in fact any) is already perceived as an abnormal phenomenon.
Since a person is in a static position, but the picture changes, visual receptors send signals to the brain. In this case, a malfunction occurs in the brain, and if the vestibular apparatus is quite developed, the symptoms of seasickness are not felt.
But with insufficient training or weakness of the apparatus (in children), seasickness begins to make itself felt.
Why don’t you get motion sickness on modern cruise ships?
The answer is simple – modern cruise ships are equipped with a stabilization system that reduces pitching and ensures more uniform movement. The system operates using hydraulic stabilizers that automatically adjust depending on sailing conditions. Modern and comfortable airliners have a large mass, which also helps reduce pitching.
Thanks to new technologies and devices on liners, pitching is minimized and most often reduced to zero, so for most passengers there is no reason to fear seasickness. Most travelers and cruise vacationers do not experience any discomfort.
Types of pitching on sea vessels
Pitching is the tilt, rocking and roll of a ship caused by external factors, such as rough seas. Rolling affects the stability of the ship and creates inconvenience not only for passengers, but also for the ship’s crew. To reduce pitching, various technical and design solutions are used, including the installation of stabilizing systems and ballast tanks.
There are several types of pitching on ships:
- Longitudinal (forward, backward).
- Transverse (from side to side).
- Roll (change in roll angle).
- Loading (change in direction of movement).
- Vertical (raising and lowering bow and stern).
- Shaking (rapid and uneven changes in the rise and fall of the vessel).
Ship devices for protection against pitching
Modern liners have entire systems designed to combat pitching and illnesses such as seasickness.
The design provides the following solutions:
- Keel – longitudinal beam. Helps keep the boat upright. Prevents it from being thrown to the side by waves.
- Stabilizers are additional structures installed on the sides. Reduces pitching and increases stability.
- Side valves are devices that allow the aircraft to quickly change its stability to compensate for movements in the center of gravity.
- Active control systems are modern complexes that automatically respond to changes in pitching and compensate for it using hydraulic and electrical systems.
- Ballast systems – used to change displacement to increase the stability of a marine vessel.
- Rubber springs – installed on the sides to soften impacts when rolling.
On the side platforms of the liner, dampers are installed, which also compensate for pitching by changing their weight and position.
Treatment of seasickness, tablets.
Seasickness tablets contain an active substance that blocks receptors in the brain that are responsible for nausea. They reduce the number of electrical impulses coming from the vestibular apparatus to the brain, which reduces the likelihood of the entire list of unpleasant symptoms of seasickness.
Among common medications:
- Dramine;
- Mecyzin;
- Cyclozine;
- Promethazine;
- Hydroxyzine;
- Sodium oxybate.
It is better not to give pills to children and use natural remedies (ginger candies or motion sickness bracelets). The tablets can be taken as a preventative measure before a cruise, as well as at the first symptoms.
Output
You shouldn’t give up traveling because you’re afraid of seasickness, because there are many ways to combat this phenomenon. If the fear of nausea and dizziness still does not leave you, in addition to medications, you should choose the right location on the liner.
The location of the cabin on the ship is very important. The most optimal place for people with weak vestibular apparatus is the lower floor in the center of the ship. You should avoid staying in cabins on the upper tiers on the periphery of the ship. Choose your vacation spot carefully and your cruise will be an unforgettable vacation for the whole family.
Please leave this field empty.
UNIQUE OFFERE!
SUBSCRIBE AND GET THE MSC CHECKLIST!
And also – all the news and regular digests with current cruise promotions and sales will be in your mailbox.
Your name * Your Email *
We do not spam! Read our privacy policy to learn more.
