What causes motion sickness?

Jul 14, 2024 Source: Cainiu Health
Disease description:

I often experience motion sickness and vomiting when riding in a car, and I've really developed a fear of traveling by vehicle. I'd like to ask the doctor: what causes motion sickness?

Doctor's answer (1)
Dr. Huang Shichang
Motion sickness is usually caused by multiple factors, mainly including the following aspects: 1. Genetic factors: Motion sickness is a chromosomal dominant hereditary disease. If someone in the family experiences motion sickness, your likelihood of developing it will significantly increase. 2. Visual factors: When the body is moving or changing direction, if there is a discoordination between the sense of motion and vision, symptoms such as dizziness may occur. 3. Individual constitution: Motion sickness may also be triggered by emotional tension, excessive fatigue, lack of sleep, or physical weakness. 4. Neurotransmitter abnormalities: Abnormal secretion of neurotransmitters responsible for transmitting signals may lead to asynchronous processing of information, thus causing motion sickness. 5. Eardrum changes: Alterations in eardrum thickness or dysfunction may also affect information transmission and lead to motion sickness.