How To Combat Motion Sickness From Carnival Rides

Your Entertainment Experts

February 10, 2020

Like most people, you love carnival rides and roller coasters. The excitement of the crowd, the chilling screams from current riders, and the anticipation of going for another round are great. There’s just one problem. Each time you partake in one of these head-spinning attractions, you feel the repercussions for hours or even days after. While it may seem like a hopeless battle, have no fear! In this post, we will help explain how to fight that nauseating feeling that even the most fun attractions can cause if not addressed and prepared for properly.

For the most fun and head-turning attractions at your next party or event, be sure to check out the offerings from Celebration Source to have a great time! Read on to learn more about how to prepare and recover from similar rides to our options!

It’s All in the Head

When experiencing motion sickness, it is a physical response from our brain receiving conflicting signals from various organs in the body. This includes our ears and our eyes. Because our bodies naturally defend themselves against perceived threats and poisons, if our body feeling is not matching what we are perceived to be feeling, our body goes into detox mode to rid itself of the toxins, which is motion in this instance.

To help with this, don’t close your eyes while on the ride! While it may seem scary to view the twists and turns you are going through, it will allow your body to sense the reasonings for why you are moving so abruptly.

Look Before You Leap

If you are an individual who suffers from these types of motion sickness symptoms, it is important to research which rides you should avoid, and which ones are a-okay. In general, rides that sway and spin are more prone to cause your body distress, whereas roller coasters typically give you enough time to respond properly to what is occurring. Unless the roller coaster has tons of inverted loops, you should be all set to hop in!

Modernity and Continued Innovation

Due to the rapid success of Russian Mountains and Scenic Railways in just a short time, roller coaster interest, dynamics, and innovation began to take flight. Inventors began experimenting again with roller coasters that featured an inverted loop. The effort was there, but the safety standards were not solidified. After numerous cases of riders getting whiplash and other injuries from the inverted portion of the rides, the ideas and attractions were once again scrapped (for now). Wooden roller coasters and scenic railways maintained popularity throughout various regions of the United States, until the Great Depression.

At the spark of the Great Depression, the demand for new roller coasters declined rapidly. This lasted until the opening of The Racer at King’s Island. The instant success of the coaster helped ignite a roller coaster renaissance, as worldwide interest began to focus in.

Eat Before You Ride

While it might sound odd to eat before you go on a ride that can throw your body (and food) all around, it is actually important to have some food in your system for motion sickness causing rides. Obviously, we don’t recommend you eat the biggest meal of your life and then immediately hop into the teacups, but small and proportionate snacks 30 minutes before the big ride will help mitigate these symptoms. Avoiding spicy and acidic foods, and implementing nausea-reducing foods such as ginger can also assist in the prevention of motion sickness.

Keep Your Head Straight

To help combat the dizzying feeling that these rides can cause, try sitting in the ride with good posture, including your head in alignment with your shoulders and spine. Tilting your head can leave your brain out of the alignment, and cause the conflicting messages you are trying to avoid. In addition to good posture, sitting in the middle row of cars will help promote the smoothest ride. The front can be more dizzying as you are the viewer, and the back is known to be the most intense area to sit.

Stock Up on Anti-Nausea Medications

If none of these tricks work, and you are leaving the park wanting to throw up and beat up whoever told you this “useless” advice, make sure to come prepared with over-the-counter medicines that can be found at any pharmacy. Antihistamines such as dimenhydrinate (also known as Dramamine) can help reduce the sickness you are feeling by blocking certain receptors in your brain that make you want to vomit. These can make you drowsy, however, so do not operate motor vehicles after ingesting. You can also try a Scopolamine Pill or Patch before getting on the ride. To use, simply ingest 30 to 60 minutes before getting on your anticipated ride, or stick the patch behind your ear four hours prior if using the patch.

Test Your New Knowledge With Celebration Source

Here at Celebration Source, we cater events and carnivals of many sizes. From simple games and food carts to full-scale rides and dizzying opportunities, we are sure to have it all. If you are hosting an event in the near future, we hope you consider contacting us to provide all of your guests with the excitement and joy they are seeking. Just be sure that they read this before stepping into the thrill!