Travel sickness and autism

It’s incredible how so many of my unusual experiences have turned out to be related to autism

I get super motion sick in cars (unless I’m driving, which I love doing, means I don’t need to use crowded public transport, and I can just sit in my parked car to regroup) 

and also below deck on boats 

and backwards facing on trains 

I haven’t found a solution - I crack the window in the back of Ubers, put my phone away, close my eyes and focus on my breath. 

I'm glad they worked for you.

I went out yesterday and used the wristbands, while facing upright with my eyes closed. It worked very well for me and didn’t need a tablet.

I went out on a car trip yesterday, and tried the wrist bands that TheCatWoman suggested. They did work very well for me. Didn’t feel sick throughout the entire journey.

Didn’t need to take a tablet at all so no dry mouth! Also closing my eyes and not going on the phone helped. I am going to use these bands when travelling from now on. Thank you so much.

I was very sceptical about the anti-travel-sickness acupressure wrist bands - however, I do actually find them helpful. 

Particularly so for my nemesis: coach trips!

Sometimes they are called "Travel Bands", other times they are called "Sea-Bands".

Hello, i have travel problems too, for as long as i can remember , i figured out grownding yourself works every time for me, when the anxiety starts and your tummy starts to feel funny , use something you would usually use at home, for example, for me i bring my gameboy with me everywhere to restimulate my brain because it got to the point where it was happening everytime its all i would think about, so maybe add something youd usually do at home to your travel routine

They do work, you can get them from most chemist shops.

I have just looked it up and the dry mouth is a common side effect. It happens every time I take one. Bringing water with me helps relieve the discomfort.

I may concider trying a different brand but the kwells do work for me. Ginger tea is said to settle the stomach, might try that as well.

Not heard of them before, if you think it will work I’ll concider trying one.

I remember going on one of the large hovercraft to Calais in the early 1980s. It was rough. I thought it was fun but loads of other people had their sick bags out.

I have the heart and stomach of a concrete elephant, as far as travelling goes. It's a familial thing. On a very rough sea crossing to the Isle of Man, when I was nine, my family were the only people in the dining cabin, everyone else was leaning over the rails being sick.

Have you tried travel sickness weist bands? They put pressure on an accupuncture point and it stop you feeling sick, it seem to work not just for travel, but for hormonal and medicinal nausea too.

Let us know how you get on if you try any new techniques and I'll do the same if I try anything. Yeah not using your phone will definitely help, and I believe looking at things far off in the distance is supposed to be helpful too.

GreyCuddlyWolf said:

Yes I do take travel medicine. A kwells tablet an hour before leaving. It does work but makes my incredibly dehydrated. Is this a known side effect?

That I don't know. If you look up the tablets it might tell you online? Most have a known side effects leaflet I think.

So pleased to know I am not alone in this. Will try some new techniques next time I go in the car.

Maybe putting the phone down will be a good start as I’m always on it. Thanks for pointing that out.

Yes I do take travel medicine. A kwells tablet an hour before leaving. It does work but makes my incredibly dehydrated. Is this a known side effect?

I get this too. I’ve always been a bad passenger and have been affected by motion, in cars, planes and even on elevators. Suddenly feel really dizzy and sick after only a few seconds. During my assessment I was told this was likely due to my autism because of my hyper sensitivity.

Apparently it’s something a lot of autistic adults and children experience. If you Google it there’s a couple of different pages that mention it. Google’s AI Overview says “Yes, it is possible that autistic people are more prone to motion sickness. This is often linked to sensory processing differences, particularly an over-responsive vestibular system, which is responsible for balance and spatial orientation according to Autism Parenting Magazine. The sensory sensitivities common in autism can make it difficult to filter sensory input, leading to discomfort and potential motion sickness.”

I’ve looked up different tips on improving travelling like

Not using my phone
Travel medicine
Stopping regularly for breaks

But so far none of this has been successful for me. It might be a good idea to try some, just in case they work for you. I don’t know if it is autism related, I think it definitely is for me.

GreyCuddlyWolf said:

Is this part of my Autism, it is a common trait

Yes, it can certainly be related.

One aspect of autism is that we can be under- or over-sensitive, compared to the norm, across a wide range of senses.

This can include having an over-sensitive vestibular system, which deals with how our brains process balance and spatial orientation. We can also have difficulties with processing sensory inputs.

One of the ways in which this can affect us, in daily life, is in us being more prone to experiencing car / motion / travel sickness:

NAS - Sensory differences > Balance (vestibular)

It's motion sickness which can affect anyone, so I'm not sure it is autism, although it may not help.

I think it is related to how the brain processes signals from the eyes and from the inner ear, which detects motion.

A bit like spinning around makes you dizzy. Your eyes say you are still, but your ears say you are still spinning and your brain gets confused. Your ears override your eyes. 

Reading a book in the back seat of a car makes me and quite few people feel queasy, and I don't have much of an issue. Being on a ship is awkward below deck as everything you see is still but your ears say you are moving. On a ship you get used to it after a day or two.

In cars it is best to sit in the front and look ahead. On a bus or train you may do best to look out the window in the medium distance. Don't look at the stuff whizzing past up close.

I general looking down makes it worse. So reading or playing games may not help. It you want something have it in front of you, like on planes where the screen is at eye level, but note that stuff whizzing past in your peripheral vision may also cause problems.

I don't know if closing your eyes might help, but I do not think so.

As an irrelevant piece of trivia, I believe weightlessness in space causes the same motion sickness issues. Your brain learns to switch it off.

I'm in the same boat. As a young boy, I always boked during long car journeys. Also got sick on buses; the artificial air turns my stomach; as well as provide me with a stress headache.

Exposed ground, when windy, unnervs me even more than snow or ice. Which is why I'm not fond of Dual Carrigeways. I imagine that my car tosses around, like a ragdoll. Anxiety, plus negative experiences of when I did lose control when driving.

You are right. Anxiety does make it worse. I don’t drive my dad does. You probably don’t get sick when driving because you have to be alert and focus on the road at all times, which takes your mind off the worries.

It’s different when you’re the passenger. I don’t have this feeling when riding my bike cause I’m always focused.

I get travel sickness, too, though it’s only when I’m not the driver. I really don’t enjoy driving, though, because of my ADHD and anxiety makes even a nice, casual drive into a sensory nightmare.

So yeah, Autism could easily be part of why the experience is so horrible for you, but it could also be anxiety that makes things like traffic jams and worrying about travel sickness unbearable.