Motion sickness begins in your head, not your stomach. Your brain is hearing two different stories.
What feels the motion?
Deep in your ears, tiny tubes of fluid feel every bump and turn. Your eyes also tell your brain how you are moving.
Why do you feel sick?
Reading in a car, your ears feel motion, but your eyes see a still page. Many scientists think your brain mistakes this mix-up for poison. So it makes you queasy, just in case you ate something bad.
How can you stop it?
Looking far out at the horizon helps your eyes and ears agree. Drivers get carsick less often because they know every turn before it comes.
Can astronauts get it?
Even astronauts can get motion sick in space. Floating up there, their inner ears feel like they are always moving.
Sources
- Scientific American: Why does reading in a moving car cause motion sickness?
- Scientific American: Here's What Causes Motion Sickness
- CDC Yellow Book: Motion Sickness
- Cleveland Clinic: Motion Sickness
- InformedHealth.org: How does our sense of balance work?
- ScienceAlert: Your brain thinks it is being poisoned
- The Scientist: Why do some people feel motion sickness?
- Space.com: Do astronauts get space sick?
