The Dizzying Differences Between Motion Sickness and Vertigo · Conway Medical Center (2024)

Motion Sickness

Imagine you’re on a long car ride, your eyes fixed on a book, while the vehicle maneuvers through winding roads. Suddenly, you start feeling queasy, your stomach churns, and a wave of nausea sweeps over you. Welcome to the world of motion sickness, a condition triggered by a discrepancy between what your eyes perceive and what your inner ears sense.

Motion sickness occurs when your brain receives conflicting signals from your eyes and your inner ear, which is responsible for balance and spatial orientation. For instance, when you’re reading in a moving car, your eyes tell your brain that you’re stationary, while the inner ear senses the vehicle’s movement. This incongruity of signals can lead to feelings of nausea, vomiting, and overall discomfort.

In essence, motion sickness is a result of your body struggling to reconcile the differences between what you see and what you feel. It’s a response to the sensory mismatch that occurs during activities like reading in a car, sailing on a boat, or even riding a roller coaster.

Vertigo

Vertigo is a more complex and often unnerving sensation. Vertigo is characterized by a false perception of rotational movement or a spinning sensation as if the world around you is swirling even though you’re still. This phenomenon arises from disruptions in the inner ear or the vestibular system.

The most common type of vertigo is benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), which is often triggered by specific head movements. In BPPV, tiny calcium particles in the inner ear become dislodged and disrupt the normal flow of fluid, sending inaccurate signals to the brain about your body’s orientation. This can lead to sudden episodes of intense vertigo that last for a brief period.

Other things can also cause vertigo like inner ear infections, Meniere’s disease, and vestibular migraines. Unlike motion sickness, which results from sensory mismatch, vertigo is rooted in the malfunction of the inner ear structures responsible for maintaining your equilibrium.

Distinguishing the Differences

The key distinction between motion sickness and vertigo lies in their underlying causes. Motion sickness stems from the discord between visual and vestibular cues, while vertigo is a consequence of inner ear dysfunction, sending inaccurate signals to the brain about your body’s position and movement.

Understanding these differences can be crucial for effective management and treatment. If you find yourself prone to motion sickness, focusing on the horizon or taking motion sickness medications might help alleviate symptoms. On the other hand, vertigo treatment often involves specific maneuvers to reposition dislodged inner ear particles or address the underlying condition causing the vertigo.

If dizziness, nausea, or balance issues persist, seeking professional medical advice is paramount. Consulting an otolaryngologist, like those at CMC Ear, Nose, and Throat, with expertise in vestibular disorders can provide you with an accurate diagnosis and tailored treatment plan to help you regain your equilibrium and enjoy life without the unsettling sensations of motion sickness or vertigo.

CMC Ear, Nose, and Throat Offers Innovative Treatments

At CMC Ear, Nose, and Throat, we specialize in everything dealing with the head and neck. For children and adults dealing with chronic ear infections and sinus issues, seeing one of our ENT surgeons can be the first step to getting relief. For conditions ranging from sinus infections and vertigo to hearing loss and sleep apnea, our team can provide a range of innovative non-invasive treatments and surgeries that will vastly improve your life and health. Contact us today at 843-347-7300 to learn more about how we can help your ear, nose, and throat troubles.