Wyoming's boaters can, and do, get motion sickness
WILLY ZIMMER Star-Tribune staff writer | Posted: Thursday, May 4, 2006 12:00 am
The nearest ocean is a thousand-plus miles away, and there isn't a legitimate sea within a day's drive. That means getting seasick is for someone else, right?
Tell that to the woozy guy fishing a windy day on Glendo Reservoir.
Seasickness and Wyoming are rarely heard in the same sentence. But where there is wind, there are waves. And wherever waves bounce a boat, there are seasick people.
Jon Stephens, the watercraft safety officer in the Wyoming Game and Fish Department's Casper office, has seen the problem sitting next to him while he patrols Alcova Reservoir.
"I almost guarantee you it's a problem," Stephens said. "An officer who was with me last year … when he first got on the water, damn near every day on the boat for the first three hours he was pretty sick."
The symptoms of seasickness include dizziness, nausea, headache, and in extreme cases, vomiting. Some boaters are affected more than others - the lucky ones are not affected at all. Wyoming Walleye Circuit chief Dan Horath said the only seasickness he's encountered was from "too much adult beveraging."
But for those who are susceptible, a day on a big lake can be no fun at all. Seasickness occurs when the tiny inner-ear structures that regulate balance are disturbed by the rocking motion of a boat on the waves. It is also called motion sickness because some people are similarly affected when traveling by air or land. According to the Centers for Disease Control, women, children ages 2-12 and persons who have migraine headaches are most susceptible.
There are a number of ways to deal with seasickness. WebMD recommends the following preventative steps:
*Move your head as little as possible. Sit with a headrest if possible. Head movement can increase motion sickness.
*When you're on a boat, try to get fresh air. Look at a fixed point on the horizon.
*Avoid drinking alcohol or eating a heavy meal before boarding.
*Do not eat or drink during short outings. Eat small meals of foods that are easy to digest, and drink small amounts of fluids either before or during boating.
*{M3Try to avoid strong odors and spicy foods.
And if you do have symptoms, the following may help:
*Eat a few dry soda crackers.
*Sip on clear, carbonated drinks such as ginger ale.
*Get some fresh air. Lie down and/or keep your head still.
There are also several medications that "may ameliorate symptoms," according to the Centers for Disease Control. Dramamine (active ingredient dimenhydrinate) has been around for years and is favored by many sufferers.
Other medications CDC recommends are scopolamine, oral meclizine (Bonine, Antivert or another form of Dramamine), diphenhydramine (Benadryl) and promethazine. Scopolamine patches are preferred for long trips because they are long-lasting, but must be obtained by prescription.
Many of the medications, however, can cause drowsiness, so some seek other cures. And because seasickness has been around as long as sailors have sailed, there are a number of interesting home remedies. Eating foods containing ginger is recommended by a variety of sources, including the North Platte Walleyes Unlimited newsletter. Ginger snap cookies are particularly popular - they are tasty and travel well.
Some other foods are ascribed curative powers. Travelinsider.com acknowledged some people take a tablespoon or two of bitters in water and get "nearly immediate beneficial results."
Other foods that may offer relief are mint, citrus, apricot juice, carrot juice, unroasted pumpkin or squash seeds, parsley and peppermint tea.
On WalleyeCentral.com, a number of anglers responded to the query "Seasickness, need a cure" with some interesting remedies. One advised the afflicted sniff a lime peel because it "can bring a person out of being sick."
An interesting, and inexpensive, cure is placing a paper bag against the skin, either on the chest or belly. According to the recommenders, the feel of the bag on the skin gives the brain "a sense of grounding."
Another grounding technique is to wear a semi-tight wrist band. The CDC acknowledged "pressure on the P6 acupuncture point of the wrist provides relief of nausea during pregnancy and after chemotherapy" and may help seasickness, although the evidence is "contradictory."
Cures aside, there two time-honored solutions to seasickness. One well-meaning angler on walleyecentral.com advised "stay on land."
But that's darn nigh impossible if the fish are biting, and many put to "sea" whether they get sick or not. The good news is, eventually the body acclimates to motion. Stephens said his partner eventually got over the symptoms and ditched the Dramamine.
That suggests somewhere down the road is a pair of sea legs for all who navigate Wyoming's big lakes.
"Maybe (seasickness is) something that comes and goes with time," Stephens said. "By the end of the summer, he was all right with it."
Assistant features editor Willy Zimmer can be reached at (307) 266-0524 or William.Zimmer@casperstartribune.net.