Can you develop car sickness when older? And why?

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For a few years now I really struggle in cars. From mild discomfort, to feeling really queasy, getting the sweats, have to focus on my breathing, open the windows and a couple of times I actually threw up. Either in the car or as soon as I got out.

I never had this issue as a child, even when all bundled up in the back like sardines, no seatbelts etc. In fact , in my late teens/20s one of my biggest pleasures was going on a long drive (as a passenger). I have no idea what changed. Some cars seem worse than others , for examples it’s more likely to happen in an uber than in our car , but it still happens. Coaches are hit and miss as well.

I’m still ok on aeroplanes and boats.

Is it the car type? I suffer from travel sickness in automatic cars, I’m fine being a passenger in a manual.

I think general aging can be a factor.

But how old are you? Because I think I’ve read that hormonal changes around perimenopause/menopause can also cause it

I think general aging can be a factor.

But how old are you? Because I think I’ve read that hormonal changes around perimenopause/menopause can also cause it

I’ve always suffered from motion sickness to some degree, but since I reached my 40s it’s got worse. Things that make it worse are sitting in the back, and for some reason electric cars.
Annoyingly I now also get it on trains, planes and rollercoasters when I never used to. The tablets help.

Its electric cars for me too.
I was pretty travel sick as a child. Usually ok as a adult, but OMG, electric cars do for me. Im dreading the day we have to buy one 🤢🤢🤢

There are lots of reports about people getting travel sick in electric cars. I heard something about it on the radio, its something to do with the acceleration being different so your brain anticipates how you know a car behaves but it does something different and that's what makes you feel queasy.

I suffered as a child and sometimes feel a bit crap as an adult, depending on the route.

Im not good on boats though and planes can be bad too (was last time) . The boat thing seems to have got worse as I'm older. Im sure I used to happily hop on boats and do picnic cruises and the like in the past.

I've developed it in my late 60s. Nothing to do with an electric car. I really don't know why but I do have an autoimmune illness now and various food issues so maybe related in some way. Very unpleasant! I rarely go out now.

Yes, I’m 57 and in the last couple of years I have turned into one of those annoying people who say “can I sit in the front I get car sick in the back” 🤦🏻‍♀️

It makes me feel so nauseas for the whole day.

Deep in our ears there is a group of tubular structures called the semilunar canals. They are our balance organs. They are filled with a fluid and the insides are lined with minute hair-like structures. When our heads move, the fluid sloshes against the hairs. Nerves transmit perception of this movement to the brain.

Motion sickness can be caused by a mismatch between the visual messages of movement from our eyes and the physical messages from our ears

As we age, these little ‘hairs’ can degrade and this can lead to a greater mismatch, leading to greater sensitivity to motion sickness. It can also result in slower transmission of the messages from ear to brain, similarly resulting in motion sickness.

I too was going to suggest is is electric car related or a possible inner ear issue. Do you only get it as a passenger or when you drive also?

my daughter and I struggled when we first got an electric petrol hybrid. It did get easier with time, but I did often find more comfort as a passenger in the back. Don’t know why.

Interesting people are mentioning electric cars. I take a lot of Ubers and the vast majority of them are electric and that’s when it’s at its worst.

Age wise I’m in my early 40s.

I would assume peri menopause then.
I didn't like traveling but did it any way.
Early 50s started to feel like morning sickness then struggled to go short journey s in the car for a while.ok now I'm on her.
It was the hormones in my case.

I sit in the back now on long journey s

I get car sick when my underactive thyroid is not properly medicated. Might be worth checking your thyroid levels if you're tired as well.

Sitting in the back tends to make it worse. It’s not a big issue , just annoying as fuck and the worry of “will I, won’t I .. how bad will it be?” especially if it’s not a quick trip.

I’ve always got car sick but I’ve also noticed it ramping up recently now I’m in my 40s. I hadn’t made the connection to electric cars but I almost always take Ubers and yesterday I felt extremely nauseous on a 10 min ride. DS has also been sick after being in an Uber for less than 10 mins.

Sitting in the middle helps if you can’t sit up front.

It's diesel for me, and i think it's something to do with the frequency of vibration. I could easily imagine that electric cars could be a problem for some people for similar reasons.

That's really interesting. Thanks for sharing!

Oddly, my travel sickness has reduced in my 40s rather than increased. It used to be much worse when I was a child, the smell of the car, the petrol etc were triggers. I drive a hybrid and not experienced the issues with this being worse although I'm typically the driver.
Getting an eye test can help with car sickness if your symptoms are linked to hidden eye alignment issues, outdated prescriptions, or binocular vision problems. Motion sickness often stems from how your eyes work together as a team. Small, hidden misalignments in how your eyes line up force your brain to strain to make a single picture, triggering dizziness and nausea.

I was car sick as a child and grew out of it but it returned after I had children in my 20’s. It’s got increasingly worse to the point that I can be car sick even when driving.
I regularly take motion sickness tablets whenever I’m a passenger.
It’s a hideous feeling, I totally commiserate with fellow sufferers.

The reason for me sitting in the back is I get anxiety so being less in amongst the action is better.
I agree the motion sickness feeling is grim.

It tends to be better in the front, but not always.

Yes I did this. Taken everywhere as a child, all of uk, France including south, absolutely fine, though I couldn’t read on a journey. Since my twenties, I’m now terrible in the back of a car, last about 5 mins before I start huffing and puffing, feeling sick. Also on buses, if I turn to chat - I need to look straight down the bus lol.