Can I get motion sickness when swimming?

What causes motion sickness?

Motion sickness when swimming can be experienced when pool swimming but it’s more common in open water, especially the ocean. The ocean has more movement and on those days when water is choppy and bumpy, there is an increased chance of motion sickness.

‘Your brain receives signals from motion-sensing parts of your body: your eyes, inner ears, muscles and joints. When these parts send conflicting information, your brain doesn't know whether you're stationary or moving. Your brain's confused reaction makes you feel sick.’

​When a swimmer is in bumpier conditions than they are used to, they tend to lift their heads up more to both breath and sight. Also the increased movement of sighting can also lead to possibly swallowing water or panic, both of these increase the likelihood of sea motion sickness.

What to do if you are caught out by sea motion sickness whilst swimming?

‘Stopping the cause of motion sickness is the best way to stem its flow. If you’re near the shoreline, get out, stop any movement, keep warm, lie down, close your eyes and take deep breaths. Try to focus on something other than the feeling.

However, it often sets in whilst in deeper water when we can’t go back to shore immediately. In this case stop, try and focus on something static such as a landmark or the sea bed. Try as best you can to calm your breathing and divert your mind, rather than focusing on the nausea. Talk to your buddy, think hard about something else or sing a song.’

If you struggle with motion sickness then maybe ease yourself into swimming in different conditions. Ocean pools can be useful for this for safety reasons. The ocean pools are affected by the tides and on high tide can get quite bumpy with water spilling into the pool from the surf therefore a lot of water moving around. Swim a little and often in different conditions to acclimatise your body to the movement of the water. Keep a calm rhythm with your breathing, keep movement and sighting to the minimum with a good head position looking down. When ocean swimming you never know when the conditions can change.

Motion sickness can happen with any water activity, not just swimming so ALWAYS buddy up and know your limits.

Have you suffered from motion sickness whilst swimming?