The exercise
The breathing exercise for travel nerves and nausea
Breathe in through your nose for about four counts, out through pursed lips for about six, and keep going for a few minutes. That is the whole exercise. It is in every plan on this site because it does two jobs at once: in small controlled studies it lengthened how long people tolerated nauseating motion, and slow breathing is one of the best-studied ways to shift the body toward its rest state. You can do it in any seat without anyone noticing.
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
- In a crossover study of 24 adults, controlled breathing lengthened tolerance of nauseating motion by about the same margin as music the listener liked.
- In a randomised virtual reality study, people taught slow diaphragmatic breathing reported fewer motion sickness symptoms than a control group.
- A systematic review of slow breathing, at fewer than ten breaths a minute, links it to higher heart rate variability and reports of relaxation and lower anxiety.
- The exhale should be longer than the inhale. That is the part that matters most.
- It is free, silent and works in any seat. It is not a cure for anything.
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.
How to do it in a seat
Sit back so your head is supported. Put one hand low on your belly if nobody is watching; it should rise before your chest does. Breathe in through your nose for a count of about four. Breathe out through slightly pursed lips, as if cooling soup, for a count of about six. Pause for a beat and repeat. Aim for three to five minutes before boarding and again whenever you feel the first hint of queasiness.
Keep your eyes where the motion plan says: on the horizon or the wing, or closed with your head still. Breathing is something you do alongside the other steps, not instead of them.
What the studies found
In a crossover trial, 24 adults were exposed to nauseating motion on three occasions: with controlled breathing, with a music tape, and with a counting task. Controlled breathing and music both lengthened the time to moderate nausea compared with counting, by about a minute on a nine-minute baseline. Small, but measured.
In a randomised study in a virtual reality environment, people prone to motion sickness were taught slow diaphragmatic breathing or given an attention task. The breathing group reported fewer symptoms, and the authors linked the benefit to higher parasympathetic activity, the body's rest setting. A follow-up study by the same group found a similar effect. Separately, a systematic review of slow breathing at fewer than ten breaths a minute found it consistently associated with higher heart rate variability and with reports of relaxation and reduced anxiety.
None of these studies tested Dizzout or any app. They tested breathing. That is why breathing stands on its own in every plan here, and why the sound session is a separate step.
When to use it
Before the motion starts, as the last step of the before-you-go routine. At the first sign of queasiness, alongside air on your face and eyes on the horizon. During turbulence, with your head against the headrest. And at home, as part of the training plan, where it is built into every session.
If you use Dizzout, breathing and the sound session go together: Prepare Me in the 10 to 30 minutes before, slow breathing while it plays, and Motion Sickness Relief if the nausea starts anyway.
Breathe slowly, and have the session ready
Stop Motion Sickness Now
Dizzout is drug-free sound therapy through any headphones. Run Prepare Me in the 10 to 30 minutes before the trip while you breathe, and Motion Sickness Relief if the nausea starts anyway, with relief in about 90 seconds. Free to download.
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Questions people ask
Does deep breathing help with motion sickness?
Slow breathing with a long exhale helped in small controlled studies: it lengthened how long people tolerated nauseating motion and reduced symptoms in a virtual reality trial. Deep is less important than slow, and the exhale matters more than the inhale. It is not a cure, but it is free and works in any seat.
How do I breathe to stop feeling sick on a plane?
In through your nose for about four counts, out through pursed lips for about six, head against the headrest, eyes on the wing or closed. Keep going for a few minutes. Open the vent at the same time and tell the crew if you need a bag.
Can breathing exercises help with flight anxiety too?
Yes. Slow breathing is one of the best-studied ways to lower the body's alarm response, and a review links it to higher heart rate variability and reports of lower anxiety. For a fear of flying that stops you travelling, breathing is a tool, not the treatment. Cognitive behavioural therapy and graded exposure are the approaches with the best evidence.
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)
- Stromberg, Russell and Carlson, 2015: diaphragmatic breathing and its effectiveness for the management of motion sickness (Aerospace Medicine and Human Performance)
- Zaccaro et al., 2018: a systematic review of the psychophysiological correlates of slow breathing (Frontiers in Human Neuroscience)
- Oakes and Bor, 2010: the psychology of fear of flying, part II: approaches to treatment (Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease)
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.