Travel/motion sickness


(Sarah Hung) #1

Both my daughter and I suffer from travel sickness when in the back of a car or in a confinded boat. Since going keto the symptoms seem to have got worse., eg being affected on buses now too.
Has anyone heard of this before?
Is there any solution?
Maybe a supplement we need?


#2

Wow. I have no idea. I haven’t noticed any difference and I get travel sick. However, it’s only when I am being driven or on a coach/plane so haven’t really tested it much. I hope someone will have some thoughts on this that will help.


(Arlene) #3

I get motion sickness very easily, since I was very young. Keto has not changed it or made it worse, however I have noticed in the last year that diesel fuel from large vehicles like buses and trucks quickly brings on motion sickness feelings with me. I wonder if they have added something new to the fuel. Plane fuel has bothered me for years.


(Tom) #4

I haven’t heard of keto causing anything like that. Have you had much luck with ginger teas or other things of similar ilk? And have you noticed any difference if you sit as close to the front as possible? Do you use a smartphone while on the bus?


(Sarah Hung) #5

Thank you for your comments. I’ve bought my daughter some motion sickness tablets. They are homeopathic so we’ll see if they help. The easiest way for me to avoid any sickness is to drive but this isn’t an option for my daughter.


(Jodi) #6

My son’s occupational therapist told me motion sickness is a sensory issue. She had us do a therapy that involved walking in a pathed figure 8 while looking at a fixed object. This was probably 15-17 yrs ago. I never noticed a change and we eventually quit doing it.
About 6 yrs ago he just suddenly stopped being car sick. This was a guy who couldn’t ride in a vehicle for an hour without vomiting. Suddenly could ride hours and hours in a vehicle just fine. I have no idea why. Never been carsick since. Meanwhile, mine has gotten worse, sometimes even hits when I’m driving.
So no answers here, sorry. Wish I could help.


#7

Hi Sarah,
I am in the same boat as you. I started Keto in June and the past couple of weeks my motion sickness has increased. It has now started to affect me when I’m driving or just sitting around. I have had motion sickness ever since I was little, but I’ve always been okay if I’m the one driving. I know motion sickness has something to do with your inner ear, but I find it quite odd that my diet and weight loss is the only thing that has changed lately. For me, chewing gum helps tremendously, but artificial sweeteners really bother my stomach so finding sugar free gum I can chew has been difficult. It might be something you can try though. Good luck on your keto journey.


(michael) #8

I have the same issue too, started Keto Diet a month ago, and lost 6kg to 70kg.
I found that I got motion sick on the bus today(I use mobile phone as usual), hope it wont last forever.
(I have motion sickness when I was a kid)

Just get home and still feeling sick:money_mouth_face:


(Ill Ink) #9

I came to the forums to discuss this very topic. Not sure if you’re still doing the keto diet, but I’m having a hell of a time with motion sickness the last week and I only started the diet a few weeks ago. I’m getting sick on buses and now just in everyday repetitive motion.

I’m guessing this is definitely a biological process resulting from something having to do with the ketogenic process itself or with a deficiency of some sort.

I’m drinking PLENTY of electrolytes and am supplementing with magnesium - the two big things you have to do to avoid ‘keto flu’ - but I’ve never heard of this level of nausea. Something in the brain isn’t right & it’s either a dietary deficiency or a byproduct on new chemical processes in the body associated with ketosis.

I’ll look around a bit more and check back in after a month to see if it is persisting.


(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #10

Welcome to the forums!

Myself, I never noticed a problem with motion sickness on keto. If anything, it’s better, not worse. I can’t think of a mechanism for how lack of sugar or carbohydrate could affect the inner ear, either.

My coping strategy for car-sickness was always to look into the distance. Part of my problem as a boy came from trying to read in the car, which really messed with my inner ear. Looking out of the car to a fixed point on the horizon always helped greatly. The smell of diesel fuel, as mentioned in an earlier post on this thread, has always been a trigger for me, too, and looking to the horizon helps with that, as well as trying to get some fresher air.

I remember that my ex-lover and I once went whale-watching off Cape Cod, and once a little girl got seasick, the rest of the passengers did, too. The only exceptions were me and him, because we had both been careful to keep looking towards the horizon. I was very proud of that, because the random motion of the boat, combined with the smell of the diesel fuel, would otherwise have been a real problem.

My mother was an avid sailor back in those days, and those friends in her sailing group who were vulnerable to seasickness found Dramamine and Bonine to be very helpful. The trick, however, is that they have to be taken in advance of need; they don’t alleviate symptoms once they’ve started. Fresh air is very helpful, as well; getting out of the cabin of the boat and going up on deck gets you away from the smell of the bilge, as well as giving you a horizon to look toward.

Motion sickness can be very distressing. It is a commonplace that if you were to tell someone suffering from seasickness that they were to be shot at dawn, the reply would be, “Can’t you make it sooner?”


(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.) #11

@ILL_INK Normally the brain transitions seamlessly to utilizing ketones (β-hydroxybutyrate). β-hydroxybutyrate has more energy per gram and burns both more cleanly and more efficiently than glucose so brain cells have more usable energy and less waste (and free radicals) to dispose of. Occasionally, the transition may not be as smooth as it could be. Possibly glucose/insulin was masking some damage that has been exposed by reducing both.

Motion sickness is caused…

The inner ear sends different signals to your brain from those your eyes are seeing. These confusing messages cause you to feel unwell.

You may also find this useful:


(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.) #12

Please elaborate. Are you drinking a proprietary electrolyte beverage? If so, what and how much? Are you mixing salts in water? If so what salts, how much of each? Are you using a magnesium supplement? If so, what and what’s the magnesium content? Also, how are you getting calcium?

As you say, keeping electrolytes up is very important when you begin keto. However, what you think is ‘plenty’ may not be sufficient.


#13

Shortly after initially going keto almost 4 years ago, I did have moments of nausea while sitting at home or walking around. I remember shopping with my kids and feeling sick. This would happen periodically when I was adjusting to keto and still happens every once in a while when I transition into ketosis after not being in it for a while. Has nothing to do with motion sickness

I have gotten motion sick since I was little but it is situation specific. For example, I am fine sitting in the back of an automatic front engine car, but will get very sick if sitting in the back of a stick shift or as a passenger in any car where the engine is not in the front. Not a fan of school busses and did have a horrible experience in one after going Keto but the driver was a disaster, kept jerking the bus back and forth and we were stuck in traffic for 3 hours in what should have taken half that time. It was a while ago so I do not remember if I opted to take another route home (it is a trip for a parade we made every year for my kids school which they aged out) but I think I took the bus home and it was ok. The following year had a prior engagement so drove myself to the parade.

Boats are a problem, even mid sized sail boats (used to have a friend with a sub 30 foot boat). In general if I am forced to take a cruise I get prescription scopolamine patches which work amazingly well for me. They do have side effects listed so may not be for everyone.

For those who get plane sick, I find it really matters where I am sitting. I cannot sit in the last few rows of the plane but have no problems and can even read if I am sitting in the middle or forward. Have flown while on Keto with no issues at all