Does caffeine help motion sickness?
Caffeine and coffee: no. The only placebo-controlled test of caffeine on its own that we found showed no significant effect. It was a 250 mg injection given before a rotating-chair test. In other studies caffeine appears only beside sedating anti-sickness drugs, so its share of their effect is unknown.
By Dizzout Editorial·Evidence last checked 4 October 2026·How we review
Verdict: No
Key facts
- The claim being tested: Coffee before a long drive or an early ferry is routine for many travelers, and some people believe a strong coffee or a cola keeps nausea away.
- 3 studies are summarised on this page, each with its participant count and finding.
- Of the studies listed, 1 undercuts it.
- On the remedies hub it sits under things you swallow.
- Something with better evidence for the same job: Controlled breathing.
What it's claimed to do
Coffee before a long drive or an early ferry is routine for many travelers, and some people believe a strong coffee or a cola keeps nausea away. Others are told the opposite: skip caffeine before you travel.
- YesTested for motion sickness and it held up.
- ProbablyReal trial support, but modest or from a single study.
- MixedTrials disagree: some found an effect, better-designed ones did not.
- UntestedNo one has tested this for motion sickness. It may still be sensible.
- Nothis remedyTested for motion sickness and it did not beat a placebo.
Levels describe the state of the published research on motion sickness specifically, not on nausea in general, and not how well something worked for any individual. “Untested” means no trial has looked; it is not the same as a remedy having been tested and failed.
What the research actually says
We found one placebo-controlled test of caffeine on its own for motion sickness, and caffeine did not pass it. In a lab study published in 1992, people were rotated in a chair until they reached a set level of motion sickness, with each medicine injected 30 minutes beforehand and compared with a saline placebo. Promethazine 25 mg and scopolamine 0.2 mg, two anti-sickness drugs, let people tolerate significantly more head movements. Caffeine 250 mg did not have a significant effect. That was an injection rather than a cup of coffee, and one lab test is not the final word, but it is the only direct test we found. Everywhere else, caffeine appears next to a drug. In a military airsickness study that recreated a turbulent night troop transport in a helicopter cabin, 64 men each tried one of four countermeasures and, in a separate session, its placebo. Only promethazine 25 mg combined with caffeine 200 mg reduced nausea and sickness severity compared with its placebo. Promethazine is a sedating antihistamine, and the authors described caffeine as its stimulant counterpart. Because the two were always given together, the study cannot say what caffeine added. A large seasickness study on a whale safari off Norway compared seven medicines in 1,741 volunteers, two of them combined with caffeine. There was no placebo group, and no medicine clearly beat the others. A 2014 review of caffeine in ear, nose and throat conditions found little evidence that caffeine causes or aggravates them, and reported some clinical evidence of benefit in motion sickness. The studies we could find show a benefit only when caffeine is paired with a drug, and none tested whether caffeine makes motion sickness worse.
The studies, in full
Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 32(11):1008-12 · PMID 1474161
Participants: Men and women in a rotating-chair test, each drug compared with a saline placebo. The abstract does not give the number of participants.
Injected 30 minutes before rotation, promethazine 25 mg and scopolamine 0.2 mg significantly increased the number of head movements people tolerated compared with placebo. Caffeine 250 mg did not have a significant effect. (Wood et al., 1992)
Read the source →Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine 78(4):408-13 · PMID 17484344
Participants: 64 male non-aviator volunteers, 16 per countermeasure, each tested once with it and once with placebo
Of four airsickness countermeasures tested in a recreated helicopter troop transport, only promethazine 25 mg plus caffeine 200 mg significantly reduced nausea and sickness severity compared with its placebo. Caffeine was never given alone in this study, so its share of the effect is unknown. (Estrada et al., 2007)
Read the source →Journal of Travel Medicine 1(4):203-206 · PMID 9815340
Participants: 1,741 tourist volunteers on a whale safari off Norway, 1,489 followed up
Seven seasickness medicines were compared, including dimenhydrinate with caffeine and meclozine with caffeine. There was no placebo group. Vomiting ranged from 4.1% to 10.2% across groups with no significant difference, so the study says nothing about caffeine on its own. (Schmid et al., 1994)
Read the source →Safety & what to watch for
- One lab test, given by injection, is not the final word. But it is the only direct test, and it found no effect, so do not plan a trip around coffee.
- If you take a sedating travel sickness tablet, do not count on coffee to make you fit to drive. Follow the tablet's label on driving.
- Do not use caffeine as a travel remedy for a child. Ask a pediatrician about anything for a child's car sickness.
- If you are pregnant, ask your doctor or midwife how much caffeine is right for you.
- Cola carries caffeine too: Coca-Cola states 34 mg in a 12-ounce can.
If you want to try it
- Extra coffee to head off sickness has no support. Skipping your usual cup has not been tested either, so keeping your normal routine is a reasonable default.
- If caffeine usually makes you jittery or gives you heartburn, a travel day is not the time to push it.
- If a pharmacist suggests a tablet that already contains caffeine, count it toward your total for the day.
- Put your effort into the measures with evidence: a forward view and slow, controlled breathing.
Something with better evidence: Does controlled breathing help motion sickness. Verdict: probably, and it costs nothing to try.
Frequently asked questions
Does coffee help car sickness or seasickness?
No trial has tested coffee itself. The only placebo-controlled test of caffeine on its own that we found, a 250 mg injection before a rotating-chair test, showed no significant effect.
Can caffeine make motion sickness worse?
We found no study that tested that. A 2014 review of caffeine in ear, nose and throat conditions found little evidence that it causes or aggravates them. If caffeine makes you jittery or queasy, skip it on a travel day.
Why are some motion sickness medicines combined with caffeine?
To offset drowsiness. In research, caffeine has been paired with sedating drugs such as promethazine as a stimulant counterpart. That makes it part of a medicine, not proof that coffee works on its own.
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Sources
Your next question, probably
So what has the strongest evidence?
All of them ranked, from the ones that work to the ones that do not
If that is not your question:
When it isn't motion sickness. Severe or lasting dizziness, a spinning sensation at rest, hearing loss, ringing in one ear, double vision, a bad headache, chest pain, fainting, or vomiting you cannot stop are not motion sickness. Seek medical care rather than a travel remedy.
Dizzout is not a medical provider and nothing here is medical advice. These pages summarize published research so you can weigh it: they cannot account for your health, your medicines or your pregnancy. Talk to a doctor or pharmacist before starting any supplement or medication, especially if you take other drugs, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are buying for a child. Evidence summaries reflect the published literature as of October 2026 and describe findings in groups of people, which cannot predict your individual response. Product and brand names are trademarks of their respective owners; Dizzout is not affiliated with or endorsed by them.