Cyber dizziness: Characteristics, Symptoms, Causes And How To Combat It
Have you ever felt dizzy, nauseous, vomiting, disoriented or dizzy after spending a long time using an electronic device? If so, it is very likely that you have experienced cybersickness.
Cyberdizziness is a term that began to be used to refer to the symptoms of discomfort that appeared in subjects who used virtual reality techniques, although currently, given the advancement of technology, this concept also serves to refer to the feeling of dizziness that other devices such as mobile phones or computers produce after browsing them for a long period.
Although it is not a serious condition, we must remedy it, since it can become chronic, and if we feel dizzy it is advisable that we take some time off and not immediately continue with our duties since, for example, using the car in these circumstances can be dangerous.
In this article we will see what cybersickness isits meaning, its main symptoms, why it appears, which subjects it is most likely to affect and how to avoid it or reduce its effect.
Cybersickness is a term that has been used for years, since around 1990, being associated with the feeling of dizziness that appeared when the subject used virtual reality techniques or machines. The feeling of discomfort is typical of motion sickness, that is, the symptoms when we get dizzy in the car or on the boat.
Virtual reality is a technique that allows the individual to face the real situation in a similar way; In other words, sensorially the subject perceives that he is in a situation but in reality this situation is not taking place. This procedure is not only recreationally useful, since it has also been used in the professional and therapy environment.such as for driving or piloting a plane simulators or in psychotherapy to treat phobias to different feared stimuli.
Currently, with the advancement of technologies, the definition of the concept has expanded, with cybersickness now also understood as the state of discomfort that involves spending a long time, almost all day, using the mobile phone or computersuch as using social networks or playing a video game.
Thus, the use of virtual reality is not inappropriate, since it makes it easier for us to train some skills and improve some behaviors, but we will see that depending on the person or the time the technique is used, negative consequences could arise in the future. subject.
Symptoms
Cybersickness generates a feeling of discomfort similar to that of normative dizziness or the one we are more accustomed to. Thus, a feeling of general discomfort will appear in the subject. Typical symptoms of dizziness are nausea, pale face, vomiting or sweating.although two sensations also appear that deserve a separate explanation: general disorientation and oculomotor disorders.
General disorientation is mainly related to the feeling of dizziness and vertigo, assuming one of the symptoms that causes the greatest discomfort. In the case of oculomotor disorders, it is linked to the third cranial nerve, also known as the oculomotor nerve, which is the one that is active and functioning when we are using virtual reality or different technologies. Thus, the symptoms caused by an alteration of this nerve are visual fatigue and headache.
Given the sensations of discomfort that it entails and the unpleasant symptoms that appear in some subjects with the need to stop, Sometimes it becomes difficult to use the virtual reality technique as a training or therapeutic tool, since the individual himself refuses..
We see, then, that it does not seem like a serious condition, but this is no reason to ignore it and not pay attention to it, since it has been proven that if we do nothing to remedy it will continue to appear, become chronic and may affect the functionality of the subjectsince as we currently know, different technologies are commonly used, not only for recreational purposes but also in the workplace.
Likewise, it has been observed that although symptoms normally tend to decrease or alleviate in a short period, in minutes or hours, in some cases these have persisted for a whole day, affecting the normal life of the individual and being dangerous if some actions, such as driving, since they increase the chance of having an accident.
Causes
We have seen that cybersickness shares many of the symptoms with common motion sickness, but in the case of the former, discomfort appears without real movement; the subject is not really moving, contrary to what happens in common dizziness where the individual does move (for example, it is common for it to appear when traveling by car or by boat).
So why does dizziness appear if the subject does not move? Well this feeling of discomfort is due to the contradictory information captured by our senses. Thus, the perception of movement is influenced by vision, which is what allows us to see that we are moving; the vestibular system, which controls the subject’s balance; and proprioception, linked to the individual’s body posture. What happens in cybersickness is that the information that comes to us from these systems is not consistent with each other.
As we know, in virtual reality or with the use of technologies, the movement we perceive is not real. This means that visually we do perceive that we are moving, since that is the intended purpose, to have the sensation of movement, but our visual and proprioceptive systems will not give us the same type of sensationsince they are only activated when there is a real displacement, thus sending contradictory stimuli to our brain and this being the reason for the appearance of discomfort or dizziness given the disparity of information.
Who is most affected by cybersickness?
As with other effects, Not all subjects will be affected by cybersickness or it will be affected in the same way.
Thus, we see that of all the individuals exposed to virtual reality, the majority, between 60% and 90%, present weak symptoms that did not prevent them from continuing with the activity; On the other hand, at the extremes, in people who either did not have any symptoms or who were affected excessively and had to stop activity, lower percentages were observed. Between 5% and 20% of subjects did not express any discomfort and 5% of participants asked to stop performing the test. because they couldn’t continue.
It has been seen that the appearance of discomfort includes both biological and environmental factors or the type of situation. Regarding the internal or personal factors of the person, it has been observed that It affects the female sex more, younger subjects, between 2 and 12 years old, and those who are prone to having migraines or dizziness.. Regarding the variables inherent to the activity, it has been seen that larger movements, where the head and body move, increase the possibility of cyberdizziness appearing.
Different strategies have been found to be useful to prevent symptoms of dizziness. In relation to the virtual reality technique, It is advisable to use a fixed, static point, in the recording, where the subject can focus their eyes and help them not present symptoms. If we do not have the static element we can also focus on the horizon of the image, because it has also been proven that it helps reduce the effects.
Another technique to prevent the feeling of cybersickness is related to the creation of the virtual reality program; It will be advisable for designers to try to ensure that the information that comes from the different sensory systems is as disparate as possible; for example, reducing rotation movements, sensation of non-gravity or transportation.
Currently, frequent use of mobile devices increases the appearance of cybersickness symptoms. It is common to look at your cell phone from bed just before going to sleep, when the light is off, the device screen very close to your face. and without stopping browsing, these factors being that increase the risk of symptoms appearing. It would then be advisable, to prevent damage, to do the same action with the light on and with the cell phone further away.
Finally, a very useful and obvious strategy is to rest when we notice that we begin to have the first symptoms, when they are still weak, to prevent them from getting worse, making them more difficult to treat and reduce. So that, When you notice the first effects of cybersickness, stop looking at the screen of your mobile phone, computer or virtual realityto be able to rest your eyes and for your body to regulate itself again.
