Why Winding Roads Can Make Motion Sickness Worse

A scenic drive through the mountains or countryside can be one of the best parts of a road trip. Unfortunately, if you’re prone to motion sickness, a stretch of winding road can quickly turn beautiful scenery into an uncomfortable experience. Frequent curves, changes in speed, hills, and repeated side-to-side movement can make motion sickness more noticeable, even for travelers who normally feel fine on straight highways.

Motion sickness occurs when the brain receives conflicting information about movement from different parts of the body. Your eyes, inner ear, muscles, and joints all help your brain understand where your body is and how it is moving. When these signals don’t agree, symptoms such as dizziness, nausea, sweating, fatigue, and vomiting can develop.

Winding roads can create the perfect conditions for this sensory conflict. Understanding why can help you prepare before your next road trip and make the journey more comfortable.

Your Inner Ear Plays an Important Role

Inside your inner ear is the vestibular system, which helps your brain detect movement and maintain balance. It can sense acceleration, changes in direction, and other types of motion.

When you’re traveling along a winding road, your body is constantly changing direction. One moment you’re moving straight ahead, and seconds later the vehicle may be turning left, climbing a hill, or rounding another curve to the right.

Your inner ear detects these movements even if your eyes aren’t focused on what’s happening outside the vehicle. This can become particularly problematic when you’re reading, looking at your phone, or focusing on something inside the car.

Your eyes may be telling your brain that your surroundings are relatively still while your inner ear is reporting continuous movement. That mismatch is one of the primary explanations for why motion sickness occurs.

Curves Create Repeated Side-to-Side Movement

A straight highway generally provides relatively predictable movement. Winding roads are different.

Repeated turns can cause passengers to experience side-to-side acceleration over and over again. Roads through mountainous areas may also include elevation changes, sharp curves, switchbacks, and frequent changes in vehicle speed.

As a passenger, you aren’t controlling those movements. You may not know exactly when the next curve is coming or how sharply the vehicle will turn.

This repeated and sometimes unpredictable movement can make it more difficult for your sensory systems to stay in agreement.

Why Drivers Often Feel Better Than Passengers

Have you ever noticed that you feel sick when you’re riding in a car but rarely experience the same problem when you’re driving?

There may be a reason.

Drivers can usually anticipate the vehicle’s movements. They are watching the road ahead and know when they are about to turn, accelerate, slow down, or stop. Their visual information closely matches the movement their body is experiencing.

Passengers may not have the same advantage, particularly if they are looking down at a phone or book.

On winding roads, looking ahead can help your brain anticipate upcoming turns. Watching the road and surrounding landscape gives your eyes visual information that better corresponds with the motion detected by your inner ear.

Screens Can Make a Winding Drive More Difficult

A long road trip might seem like the perfect opportunity to catch up on emails, scroll through social media, watch a movie, or read a book. If you’re susceptible to motion sickness, however, those activities can make a winding drive considerably less enjoyable.

When you focus on a phone, tablet, or book, the object appears stationary. Meanwhile, your inner ear can feel every curve and change in speed.

On a straight highway, you may tolerate this sensory mismatch without much trouble. Once the vehicle begins navigating frequent curves, the difference between what your eyes see and what your body feels can become much stronger.

If you begin experiencing early symptoms of motion sickness, putting away your screen and looking outside may help. Focusing on the road ahead or a distant stable point gives your eyes more information about the movement you’re experiencing.

Sitting Position Can Affect Your Experience

Where you sit in the vehicle can also influence how you experience a winding road.

For adults who are passengers, sitting in the front seat when appropriate and safe can provide a clearer view of the road ahead. Being able to see approaching curves may help your visual system anticipate the vehicle’s movement.

Passengers in the back seat may have a more limited view, especially if they are sitting low or looking toward the interior of the vehicle.

Regardless of where you’re sitting, keeping your head relatively stable and looking toward the direction of travel may help reduce the sensory conflict associated with motion sickness.

Always follow applicable seat-belt and child-passenger safety requirements when choosing where someone sits.

Other Factors Can Add to Travel Discomfort

The road itself isn’t always the only factor.

Being tired, overheated, uncomfortable, or surrounded by strong odors may make an already difficult drive feel worse. Heavy meals immediately before travel may also be uncomfortable for some people.

If you know you’re heading into an area with winding roads, consider preparing before you leave. Get adequate rest, wear comfortable clothing, keep the vehicle at a pleasant temperature, and plan breaks during longer trips.

Fresh air and a short break from the vehicle can feel particularly welcome after an extended stretch of curves.

Recognize Motion Sickness Early

Motion sickness doesn’t always begin with severe nausea.

Early symptoms can include dizziness, increased salivation, sweating, fatigue, a feeling of warmth, or mild stomach discomfort. Recognizing these signs early can give you an opportunity to change what you’re doing.

If you’ve been looking at your phone, put it away. Look toward the road or horizon, minimize unnecessary head movement, and get some fresh air when practical.

If you already know winding roads consistently cause problems for you, planning ahead may be easier than waiting for symptoms to become uncomfortable.

Prepare Before the Road Starts Twisting

For travelers who regularly experience motion sickness, an over-the-counter motion sickness aid may be another option.

Jet-Avert® contains meclizine HCl 25 mg and is labeled for the prevention and treatment of nausea, vomiting, or dizziness associated with motion sickness. For adults and children 12 years and older, the product directions state to take the first dose one hour before starting the activity. Always follow the complete Drug Facts label, including dosage directions and warnings.

Because motion sickness medications are generally most useful when taken before motion begins, thinking ahead can be especially helpful when your route includes mountain passes, scenic drives, or other winding roads.

Make the Journey More Enjoyable

Winding roads don’t have to mean spending your entire trip worried about feeling sick. Understanding why curves can trigger motion sickness makes it easier to prepare for them.

Looking ahead instead of down at a screen, keeping your head relatively stable, choosing a seat with a good view of the road when appropriate, staying comfortable, and taking breaks during longer drives can all make traveling more pleasant.

And if you already know you’re susceptible to motion sickness, planning ahead with Jet-Avert® can give you another option for preventing and treating motion sickness symptoms. Follow the Drug Facts label carefully and talk with a healthcare professional if you have questions about whether a motion sickness medication is appropriate for you.

The next time your route takes you through a series of twists and turns, a little preparation can help you spend less time thinking about motion sickness and more time enjoying the road ahead.