The routine
The before-you-go routine for travellers who dread getting sick
A routine beats a list of tips because you do it in order and stop deciding. This is the one we recommend for any trip you expect to be rough, whatever the vehicle. Most of it is about the body: sleep, food, air, eyes, breath. One step is about sound: Dizzout's Prepare Me mode is for the 10 to 30 minutes before the motion starts. Save the trip in the planner and the dates fill themselves in.
Prone to motion sickness? Drug-free sound therapy through any headphones: Prepare Me for the 10 to 30 minutes before, Motion Sickness Relief for once it starts.Starts in your browser · works with any headphones
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Key facts
- Tiredness, hunger, alcohol and heat each lower the threshold at which motion makes you sick.
- Slow breathing with a longer exhale lengthened tolerance of nauseating motion in small controlled studies and is linked to a shift toward the body's rest state.
- Dizzout's Prepare Me mode is the same sound session in a quicker form, for the 10 to 30 minutes before a trip you expect to be rough.
- Dizzout's Trip Planner lets you schedule a trip, syncs it with your calendar and reminds you when to listen before it.
- The routine is the same for a flight, a ferry, a drive or a train. Only the seat advice changes.
The plan, in order
Each step removes one thing that lowers your threshold for nausea, or one gap the dread grows in.
48 hours before
Book or claim the seat that moves least. Look up your route, ship or road. Save the trip in the planner.
The decisions you make now are the ones you cannot fix on the day.
Your trip planThe night before
Sleep. Modest dinner. No alcohol.
Tiredness and alcohol both lower your nausea threshold.
What to eat before a tripTwo hours before
Eat something light and plain. Water, not coffee.
An empty stomach is worse than a fed one, and caffeine adds to the jitters.
Eating before travel30 minutes before
Headphones on and run Prepare Me, any time in the 10 to 30 minutes before the motion starts.
This is the window Dizzout's Prepare Me mode is built for. The Trip Planner can remind you.
How Dizzout works10 minutes before
Three to five minutes of slow breathing with a long exhale.
A shift toward the body's rest state before the motion begins.
The breathing exerciseBoarding
Seat, vent, eyes up and out, screen away, audio on.
Each one removes an input your brain is arguing about.
Best seat in every vehicleIf it starts anyway
Air on your face, slow exhale, eyes on the horizon or closed, press play on Motion Sickness Relief.
Dizzout states relief in about 90 seconds. Two or three sessions may be needed on a rough trip.
The 90-second protocol
Breathe with the pacer
In for about four, out for about six. Press start and follow the circle; stop whenever you like.
Paced breathing
Six breaths a minute: in for 4 seconds, out for 6. Follow the circle, or just the words if you'd rather close your eyes.
Ready
Start before the rough part, not after: it works better as prevention.
Slow, even breathing at this pace is a widely used comfort technique for nausea. Stop if you feel light-headed: that means you're breathing too deeply, not too slowly. This is a comfort technique, not medical treatment.
Why a routine, not a list
Dread grows in the gaps where you have nothing to do but wait. A routine fills those gaps with small actions you have done before, which is why rehearsed plans lower anxiety in almost every setting people have studied them in. It also gets the body right: fed, rested, cool, breathing slowly, with its eyes on something that confirms the motion.
Nothing here is a trick. Each step removes one thing that lowers your threshold for nausea, so that the motion, when it comes, lands on a body with more room to spare.
The breathing, and why it is in the routine twice
Breathe in through the nose for about four counts and out through pursed lips for about six, and keep going for a few minutes. In a small crossover study, controlled breathing lengthened how long people tolerated nauseating motion by about the same margin as music they liked. In a randomised study of people prone to motion sickness in a virtual reality environment, those taught slow diaphragmatic breathing reported fewer symptoms than the control group. A systematic review of slow breathing links it to higher heart rate variability and reports of relaxation.
That is why it appears both before boarding and again if symptoms start. The pacer below runs the rhythm for you, and the breathing page explains it in full.
Put the dates on it
Save the trip and the steps above fill in with your dates. Everything stays in this browser; nothing is sent anywhere.
Open your trip planPick the trip and the date. The checklist, the Prepare Me step and a calendar reminder for the day before.Make the 30-minute step a habit
Stop Motion Sickness Now
Dizzout is drug-free sound therapy through any headphones. Prepare Me is for the 10 to 30 minutes before the trip, and the Trip Planner reminds you when to listen. If it starts anyway, Motion Sickness Relief is for that moment, with relief in about 90 seconds. Free to download.
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Questions people ask
How long before a trip should I use Dizzout?
Prepare Me is for the 10 to 30 minutes before the part of the trip you expect to be rough: before boarding, before the ferry leaves the harbour, before the winding stretch of road. If the nausea starts anyway, Motion Sickness Relief is for that moment, with relief in about 90 seconds.
What should I eat before a trip if I get motion sick?
Something light and plain an hour or two before: toast, crackers, a banana, oatmeal. Not nothing, and not a greasy or spicy meal. Drink water. Go easy on coffee and skip alcohol, which upsets the inner ear.
Does breathing really help with motion sickness?
In small controlled studies, yes. Controlled breathing lengthened how long people tolerated nauseating motion in a crossover trial, and slow diaphragmatic breathing reduced symptoms in a randomised virtual reality study. It is not a cure for anything, but it is free, it works anywhere and it also eases the fear side.
Can I set a reminder?
Yes, two ways. The Dizzout app's Trip Planner schedules the trip, syncs it with your calendar and reminds you when to listen. On this site, your trip plan can save a calendar reminder for the day before, with no account and nothing sent anywhere.
Related
Sources
None of these studies tested Dizzout. They are the general research on anxiety, expectation and breathing.
- Yen Pik Sang et al., 2003: music and controlled breathing against motion sickness (Journal of Travel Medicine)
- Russell et al., 2014: controlled diaphragmatic breathing for motion sickness in a virtual reality environment (Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback)
- Zaccaro et al., 2018: a systematic review of the psychophysiological correlates of slow breathing (Frontiers in Human Neuroscience)
- CDC Yellow Book: Motion sickness
This content is for general information only and is not medical advice. Dizzout is a wellness app for motion sickness and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any condition, including anxiety. Speak to a doctor if symptoms are severe or persistent, and to a doctor or therapist if fear is stopping you from travelling.