![]() Some are founded on good practice and evidence, while others are more controversial. There is now a wide range of countermeasures available to aid in the battle against seasickness. These results would suggest that seasickness is relatively short-lived, and there is potential to work around it. A further 27 experienced symptoms for three to four days, 9 per cent for five to seven days, and only 7 per cent for longer than one week.įurthermore, the majority (60 per cent) of those who experienced seasickness said that it did not prevent them from taking part in any activities on board. Something that should provide a degree of comfort to those who are susceptible to seasickness, only 58 per cent of sailors on the ARC experienced symptoms for a maximum of one or two days. And finally, fitness and anxiety are also known to influence sensitivity to seasickness. Gender differences also appear to exist, with women more sensitive than men. ![]() For instance, Chinese populations were observed in a study in 2002 to be more sensitive than Caucasians. Other factors not addressed by the survey, yet of potential interest include the conclusion in a 2012 report that motion sickness is considered to have a heritability of around 57-70 per cent, and racial differences in sensitivity appear to exist. Some 67 (57 per cent) of those who did suffer from seasickness during the rally used some form of prevention strategy or remedy and 52 (43 per cent) did not. This can also vary across different conditions for each individual – ie with changes in sailing angles or sea states – making it hard to predict.ĭata from ARC 2015 suggests that 119 (26 per cent) of 456 survey respondents experienced seasickness to some degree during their 2015 Atlantic crossing. This is despite many people’s reluctance to admit it.ĭespite the apparently level playing field among individuals, susceptibility to seasickness may depend more on your threshold. Indeed, it is estimated that as many as 90 per cent of seafarers have suffered at least once, if not several times from seasickness. Briefly, seasickness will arise when the body experiences a mismatch between the information received from our vision, balance (sensed via the ear) and the anticipated model of sensory behaviour that the body has built up from normal and previous experiences.įor example, when at sea our ears tell us that we are moving, however our sight (when focused on something within the boat) suggests that we are stationary.Īs so many of us know all too well, symptoms include pale skin, cold sweat, dizziness, increased saliva, vomiting, headaches and drowsiness.Įvidence suggests that given the appropriate provocative conditions, almost all healthy individuals can develop seasickness. There are references to seasickness as far back as Ancient Greece. At the end of the rally, participants were invited to complete our survey on seasickness, asking whether they had suffered, for how long and the remedies they had used. With only a few days of calm conditions for most amid the downwind rolling of a typical transatlantic crossing, the chances of feeling seasick at some point was high. During the first few days there were 25-40-knot winds, with large seas around the wind acceleration zones to the south of the Canary Islands and bumpy seas. The 2015 ARC provided participants with an exciting start to their ocean passage. Seasickness is an age-old problem, but how common is it and how can we prevent or treat it? We conducted a survey among 450 sailors taking part in the ARC rally last year, to find out how people coped with this dreaded affliction.
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