Why reading in transport leads to motion sickness?

There are people who like to enjoy the road in public transport or train in the company of another wonderful book. They manage to "swallow" her during the trip, not noticing how time flies by on the way. But there are also those for whom such a perspective sounds good only in theory, but in fact they know that this will lead to motion sickness, and there will be little pleasure.

The good news is that seasickness, which is manifested by nausea on the road, when you lower your eyes into a phone or book, is a cunning mechanism for responding to the CNS external stimuli. And maybe this will surprise you, but the trick is to make the stupid brain work differently. This was told by neurobiologist and author of books on this subject, Dan Burnett.

"The Foolish Brain"

This is the name of the book by Dan Burnett about seasickness. The scientist represents a group of young ambitious scientists-neurobiologists, engaged in the study of reactions in the brain to various actions, including the phenomenon of motion sickness. Burnett explained that in this process the thalamus participates, which transmits sensory signals to the central nervous system, where they are processed, and then manifest as a seasickness. There is always a connection between vision, movement and hearing. When you go somewhere, the brain records how much distance from you to the final point, to the nearest obstacles, to the ground, reacts to extraneous noises, highlighting important (for example, the sound of the approaching car from behind) and passing by strangers (conversation of passers-by).

Tubules with liquid

There is a so-called motor center located in the inner ear. He is responsible for keeping your body firmly on its feet, without losing balance. These are small tubes filled with liquid, which cause us to balance, as soon as the liquid begins to pour into either side. They can also recognize when we are hanging upside down or leaning to the side. The signal from the motor center enters the thalamus so that the brain processes it and reacts as needed.

However, when we are in the car, the CNS perceives this as an unconventional situation, and therefore tries to catch absolutely all signals coming from outside. The brain stumbles, because he receives a visual message that the body is moving, but at the same time, the muscles are relaxed and are at rest. And the liquid in the ducts in the inner ear at this time is swaying along with the course of transport.

How is the process in the head formed?

During the transport ride in the central nervous system, a wide variety of messages begin to arrive. First of all, the body is at rest. Then that it has moved. After the brain begins to catch noises, to realize how the movement occurs, which is signaled by the motor center. And having got confused definitively in all these indications, he starts to think, that in an organism there was a failure. And the only reason for such a malfunction (as he naively believes) can be only poisoning with neurotoxins. Well, once poisoning, then it is worth cleaning the body of poisons. And then the brain sends a signal to the stomach to cause spasms, which in turn provokes nausea, characteristic of seasickness.

I do not see movement - it means I do not move

Now imagine the same relationship of thoughts, but in the process of reading. If you look out the window, then you help the brain to restore the logical chain, but if you look down at the pages of the book, everything becomes completely confusing. He still understands that in some mysterious way you move around in space, but do not strain your muscles and see the change of landscapes: reading prevents you from correctly perceiving what is happening around.

Receiving a signal from the pupils, the brain reads it like "Oh, things are moving around, which means I'm moving," which helps many people avoid motion sickness when they look out the window.

The same happens, for example, in a train or on a ship during sea voyages. When there is a calm, we are not able to catch movement around, but we move ourselves. Therefore, we are swayed and vomited.

How to fight?

Unfortunately, all you can do is drink a special medicine and look around, helping the brain to properly assess the situation. Until there is no reason why some people can be rocked on the road, and others - not. The good news is that, knowing these processes, you can distract yourself and your fellow travelers from seasickness while traveling with an entertaining story.