In addition, the term “sopite syndrome” was coined to refer to the apathy, passivity, and lack of concentration characteristic of motion sickness ( 7). Some people (such as student pilots) with a history of motion sickness can get sick just thinking about an upcoming trip or flight.įor those who experience the symptoms, the result is often disabling, with nausea, vomiting, sweating, and unsteadiness, while feeling cold, clammy and disorientated. Fear, anxiety and other psychological factors can contribute to the onset of motion sickness.
Reading in a moving vehicle, abruptly moving the head or looking down while a vehicle is moving can also make symptoms worse. In fact, a provocative visual stimulus has been shown to be the most influential cause of motion sickness symptoms ( 5, 6). Susceptibility to motion sickness begins at about age two, and for most will peak in adolescence and decline gradually, although many adults remain highly sensitive to any motion, particularly in the absence of a visual reference or in the presence of significant visual stimuli. It has been observed that poor ventilation, bad odors, smoking, eating large fatty meals and alcohol can make motion sickness more pronounced. Twin studies show a significant genetic contribution with heritability of propensity to motion sickness ( 4). It is also known that some groups of people are more susceptible than others for example, women as a group are more sensitive to motion than men by a ratio of about 5:3 ( 3) and the elderly, as a group, are more susceptible due to physical reasons related to age. Camel sickness was reported to occur with Lawrence of Arabia while riding camels, and even General Carbuccia refused to use camels for Napoleon's army, because of the issues with motion ( 2). Admiral Lord Nelson reportedly never adapted to motion sickness. Motion sickness has even been used as a form of punishment. Cicero claimed he would rather be killed in battle than suffer the tortures of nausea maris. However, the Greeks provided the first written historical account of motion sickness. The earliest occurrence undoubtedly coincided with the first attempts to improve mobility – probably a water craft.
Individuals are affected daily by motion sickness and spatial disorientation while riding in automobiles, trains, buses, planes or other transport systems and as they participate in activities such as ocean cruising and deep sea fishing. Motion sickness affects nearly one third of all people who travel by land, sea, or air ( 1). As much as 60% of the population is believed to have some motion intolerance. Motion sickness and spatial disorientation are acknowledged as wide spread problems, affecting a significant portion of world population.
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