Immediate Help
The Artificial Horizon
Motion sickness often occurs when the eye reports a standstill – for example in the windowless inside cabin of a cruise ship – but the balance organ simultaneously feels the movement. The artificial horizon resolves this sensory conflict by making the real movement visible again.
Use this tool ideally on the ship, especially below deck. On the screen, you see the bow of a ship and the sea with a mountain range on the horizon. While the bow remains rigid, the background image moves based on the sensor data of your smartphone, exactly in sync with the actual sway. Your brain thus gets the missing visual confirmation of the movement back.
Scientific Background & Sources
Background: The representation of an earth-fixed line provides the brain with the missing visual motion information (inertial cues). This resolves the sensory conflict and prevents the error message in the brain that leads to travel discomfort.
Source: Bos, J. E., et al. (2005/2012). TNO Human Factors / Vrije Universiteit.
Immediate Help
4-2-6 Breathing
This breathing technique specifically targets the body's resting nerve (parasympathetic nervous system). The prolonged exhalation signals safety to the brain and helps to gently calm the fight-or-flight response.
Use tact breathing during acute stress, rising panic, or as an emergency brake during sudden discomfort. It is an ideal companion for acute travel anxiety and fear of flying, as the slowed breathing dampens physical arousal and immediately supports your wellbeing. Haptic signals guide you (blindly) through the rhythm: inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 2 seconds, exhale for 6 seconds.
Scientific Background & Sources
Background: Controlled, slowed breathing (paced breathing) stimulates the vagus nerve and increases heart rate variability (HRV). This significantly dampens physical arousal and has proven effective in studies to accompany restless travel as well as in stress situations.
Source: Yen Pik Sang et al. (2003); Stromberg et al. (2015); Zaccaro et al. (2018) on stress regulation.
Prevention
Mental Rotation
Trained spatial reasoning helps the brain process movement data more efficiently and resolve conflicting signals faster. This visual training helps you optimally build up your resilience.
IMPORTANT: This is purely a preventive training. Practice for about 15 minutes daily for two weeks calmly before the trip. This prepares your brain in advance for travel movements and sustainably improves the processing of movement data.
The Application: Decide: Is the right figure identical (just rotated) or mirrored? You have 1 joker per level. Reach at least 9 out of 10 points to advance to the next level.
Scientific Background & Sources
Background: Research by the University of Warwick (2021) showed that a two-week visuospatial training can reduce susceptibility to travel discomfort by over 50%. A trained spatial imagination helps the brain to process movement data more efficiently.
Source: Smyth, J. et al. (2021). University of Warwick / Applied Ergonomics.
