Being a passenger in a car, riding backward, going on ferris wheels, buses, boats, and even waterbeds are just some of the things guaranteed to make me hella motion sick. In fact, my motion sickness is so bad that it's significantly impacted both my personal and professional life. I have tried dozens of recommended remedies, and nothing has worked to quell my motion sickness. That is until I found Reliefband 2.0, a wearable technology anti motion-sickness band that's changed my life.
While it's not clear why some people get motion sick and others don't, the Cleveland Clinic reported that motion sickness is caused by a disturbance of the inner ear. "Motion sickness happens when your brain receives conflicting messages about motion and your body's position in space," the Cleveland Clinic explained on its website, adding that people who get migraine headaches (me) are also more likely to get motion sick.
"The conflicting messages are delivered from your inner ear, your eyes (what you see), your skin receptors (what you feel), and muscle and joint sensors. For example, you might become airsick because your eyes cannot see the turbulence that is tossing the plane from side to side. Motion sickness can occur with any mode of travel: ship, plane, train, bus, or car."
On a 2018 travel writing trip that involved taking a boat out into the Atlantic Ocean to snorkel, I stayed in the water for over an hour because being on an anchored boat bobbing up and down would most certainly have led to me throwing up all over the other passengers. And I learned on a boat trip when I was 12 that barfing all over someone is not the best way to get people to like you.
This summer, I planned a trip to Croatia and Hungary. Because of where I decided to go, I knew I'd need to ride on a few boats, and I decided to try something new to keep myself from retching over the side. If you get motion sick, then you know that the dizziness, sweating, nausea, and vomiting is a complete nightmare. And in my experience, once you start throwing up from motion sickness, it's extremely difficult to stop without medical intervention.
When Reliefband 2.0 was sent to me by the brand, I was skeptical. I have tried dozens of things over the years, and aside from a prescription ear patch that only helped a little, nothing has worked. Based on the number of remedies I have tried in the past, I didn't expect much from my new wearable, and I also brought along some dramamine (which knocks me out cold) just in case I was desperate.
Reliefband stimulates the median nerve in the underside of the wrist. When you turn it on, you feel a tingle in your hand. Whatever this tingle does, it works like magic. I did all of the things that usually make me motion sick, and I was totally fine.
I road on four boats, including a speedboat, hopped on buses, and was tossed about in the backseats of vans on winding roads. Not only did I not get sick, I never even felt nauseous. The best part is that it's drug free, so there are no side effects. It also claims to work for morning sickness, chemotherapy-related nausea, and post-surgical nausea. While this is what worked for me, every person is different, and may have a different reaction to products like this.
While some people can manage their motion sickness, for those of us with severe motion sickness, the only way to prevent it is to avoid triggers altogether. If you're like me, and you have a laundry list of triggers, consider trying this wearable tech. While it doesn't work for everyone, it worked for me. It's opened up a whole new world of possibilities for me that were previously off-limits, and that, my friendlies, is pretty freakin' priceless.
