How to ease car sickness when driving home for Christmas

Kate Ng
·Trending Lifestyle Reporter
·5-min read
Little girl is looking trough the car window in rainy day
Dealing with car sick children can be really unpleasant, but there are some things you can do to help reduce motion sickness. (Getty Images)

Driving home for Christmas with the family can be quite a stressful time, what with trying to get all the luggage and presents into the car, strapping in stroppy children and battling heavy traffic. But throw some motion sickness into the mix and it can become an outright nightmare.

According to data from Churchill Motor Insurance, more than a third of UK parents said their children have suffered from car sickness, leaving them anxious about holiday travel.

Nearly two in five (41%) dread long car journeys as a result, with over a quarter avoiding driving with car sick children altogether. Parents also have to take frequent breaks if the kids are car sick, making the journey even longer than it has to be.

Of course, feeling nausea and sickness while travelling by car isn’t restricted to children. A survey by the RAC in 2018 found that a fifth of motorists feel car sick as a driver or passenger, the equivalent of 7.3 million people.

Adult feeling nauseated after traveling with an automobile
Adults can also be prone to motion sickness. (Getty Images)

Dr Qadeer Arshad, a neuroscientist and Director of Research for the inAmind Lab, explained how car sickness comes about.

He said: "As a neuroscientist, I’ve seen first-hand how disruptive car sickness can be for both children and adults. Our research has shown that car sickness stems from a disconnect between the sensory signals sent to the brain, particularly the balance system.

"This mismatch is often triggered by certain activities such as reading a book or watching a screen while in motion. By understanding these triggers, families can take practical steps, such as opening a window for fresh air or avoiding screens, to help mitigate symptoms and make journeys more comfortable for everyone."

Churchill found that the top activities that make car sickness worse include:

  • Reading in the car

  • Using your phone as a passenger

  • Watching a screen

  • Bumpy roads

  • Roads with lots of bends

the child was seasick in the car. sad toddler sitting in a child seat. long hard car trip with children
Parents can try a few methods to manage their child's car sickness and make the journey a little smoother. (Getty Images)

Dealing with car sickness - whether it’s your children or your own - can be really unpleasant and uncomfortable. Here are a few things you can do to combat it:

Studies suggest that looking to the horizon can help stabilise your posture even in a moving vehicle, thus helping to prevent or lessen motion sickness.

It’s widely known that reading or scrolling on your phone while the car is in motion can trigger nausea. This is because your eyes are looking at an object that is still, but your inner ear can detect movement, creating a sensory conflict that results in nausea.

The middle back seat may not be the most popular, but it’s the best one for sicky passengers as it allows them to gaze out the front windshield. This helps them train their eyeline on a relatively stable target, and can help them feel less nauseous.

If you have a passenger who is starting to feel ill, handing them a lemon or orange (or any other citrus fruit) to sniff can help with the nausea. It may sound strange, but it works, says Dr Karan Raj.

In a TikTok video, the popular NHS doctor explained that citrus works because the scent gets picked up immediately by the olfactory system. "The olfactory system is also closely related to the limbic system, which regulates nausea, so inhaling that lemon scent stimulates the limbic system to help relieve nausea." He also suggested ginger or peppermint oil as “low-cost, relatively risk-free interventions for nausea that don’t require medication".

The NHS recommends distracting children who may be prone to car sickness by talking, listening to music or singing songs.

Studies show that mental distraction can help lower feelings of sickness by keeping the central nervous system busy instead of focusing on how sick the body feels. So make sure you have plenty of games to play (that don’t involve reading or looking at a screen) or songs to sing during the drive.

It’s not always possible to prevent car sickness, especially with young children. So it’s a good idea to keep your car stocked with the following equipment just in case:

  • A bucket

  • Plastic bags

  • Wet wipes

  • Antibacterial spray

  • A change of clothes

Read more about Christmas:

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