Mookhow wrote:
Having a full stomach makes you LESS likely to get seasick? That's like 100% opposite what I'd expect.
Precisely. It's quite counter-intuitive. But the gist of it is:
- If you have a totally empty stomach, your blood sugar level is probably getting low. This tends to make you feel queasy or jittery even on dry land.
- If you have a partially empty stomach, you get a lesser degree of the blood sugar issue, but the sloshing around of food/liquid in your stomach contributes to an unpleasant sensation of motion.
But most people who know they are prone to motion sickness will usually try to avoid eating because they think it will increase their chances of getting sick, or at least they'd rather not have food on their stomach if they're going to hurl.
The cruise lines are aware of this, which is why they not only make food constantly
available, but more or less actively
encourage people to eat. I don't mean that as some kind of cynical criticism. It's smart business, of course. But if you have
mild motion sickness issues, it really is the best policy for everyone as long as you're prepared to gain a few pounds on your cruise. Staying full is usually enough to stave off sickness entirely for most people. Now, if you have
severe motion sickness, probably nothing short of Dramamine is going to cut it. But usually anyone who falls into that category is aware of it and will either plan accordingly or else not opt to go on a cruise to begin with.