Cybersickness: characteristics, symptoms, causes and how to combat it

Cybersickness is becoming more and more common in a society full of screens; let's take a look at its characteristics.

Have you ever felt dizzy, nauseous, sick to your stomach, disoriented or dizzy after spending a long time using an electronic device? If so, it is very likely that you have experienced cyberdizziness.

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 nowadays, given the advance of technology, this concept is also used to refer to the feeling of dizziness produced by other devices such as cell phones or computers after browsing on them for a long period of time.

Although it is not a serious condition, we must remedy it, as it can become chronic, and if we feel dizzy it is advisable to take some time off and not immediately continue with our functions since, for example, using the car in these circumstances can be dangerous.

In this article we will see what cyberdizziness is, its meaning, its main symptoms, its causes, its causes and its consequences.Its meaning, its main symptoms, why it appears, which subjects it is more likely to affect and how to avoid it or diminish its effect.

What is cybermareo?

The cyberdizziness is a term that has been in use for years, from more to less 1990, being associated with the sensation of dizziness that appeared when the subject used techniques or machines of virtual reality.. The sensations of discomfort are those of motion sickness, i.e. the symptoms of motion sickness when we get seasick in the car or on a 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/she is in a situation but in reality this situation is not taking place. This procedure is not only useful for recreational purposes, since it has also been used in the professional and therapy environment, such as for simulators, for example.For example, it has been used in driving or flying simulators or in psychotherapy to treat phobias to different feared stimuli.

Nowadays, with the advance of technologies, the definition of the concept has been broadened, understanding now also by cybersickness the state of discomfort that being a lot of time, almost all day long, using the cell phone or the computer, such as using social networks.such as using social networks or playing a video game.

Thus, the use of virtual reality is not inappropriate, as it facilitates the training of some skills and improvement of some behaviors, but we will see that depending on the person or the time that the technique is used, negative consequences could arise in the subject.

Symptoms

Cyberdizziness generates a feeling of discomfort similar to that of the normative dizziness or the one we are more accustomed to. Thus, a feeling of general discomfort will appear in the subject. Typical symptoms of seasickness are nausea, paleness of the face, vomiting or sweating, although there are also two sensations that can be perceived in the subject.However, there are also two sensations that deserve a separate explanation: general disorientation and oculomotor disorders.

General disorientation is mainly related to the sensation of dizziness and lightheadedness. the sensation of dizziness and vertigo, being one of the most discomforting symptoms.. In the case of oculomotor disorders, it is linked to the third cranial nerve, also known as oculomotor nerve, which is the one that is active and functioning when we are using virtual reality or different technologies. Thus, the symptoms of an alteration of this nerve are visual fatigue and headache.

Given the sensations of discomfort involved and the unpleasant symptoms that appear in some subjects having the need to stop, it is sometimes difficult to use the virtual reality technique as a training or therapeutic tool, since the individual himself refuses to use it..

We see then, that it does not seem a serious affectation, but this is not a reason to ignore it and not to pay attention to it, since it has been proven that if we do nothing to remedy it, it will continue to appear, becoming chronic. it will continue to appear, becoming chronic and may affect the subject's functionality.As we know, different technologies are currently in common use, not only for recreational purposes but also in the workplace.

In the same way, it has been observed that although normally the symptoms usually diminish 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 he/she does some actions, such as driving since it increases the possibility of having an accident.

Causes

We have seen that the cyberdizziness shares many of the symptoms with the common dizziness, but in the case of the first, the discomfort appears without any 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 when traveling by car or 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, which is linked to the individual's body posture. What happens in cyberdreaming is that the information that comes to us from these systems is not in accordance 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 this is the purpose that is sought, to have the sensation of movement, but our visual and proprioceptive system will not provide us with the same type of sensation. our visual and proprioceptive system will not provide us with the same type of sensation, since they are only activated when there is a real movement.However, our visual and proprioceptive systems will not provide us with the same type of sensation, since they are only activated when there is a real movement, and therefore contradictory stimuli reach our brain, which is the reason for the appearance of discomfort or dizziness due to the disparity of the information.

Who is most affected by cyberdizziness?

As is the case with other affectations, not all subjects will be affected by cyberdizziness or 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%, presented weak symptoms that did not prevent them from continuing with the activity; on the other hand, at the extremes, in the people who either had no symptoms at all or who were affected excessively and had to stop the activity, lower percentages were observed. Between 5% and 20% of subjects expressed no discomfort and 5% of participants asked to stop the test because they could not continue. because they could not continue.

It has been seen that the appearance of discomfort includes both Biological and environmental factors or the type of situation. As for the internal factors or factors specific to the person, it has been observed that affects more the female sex, younger subjects, between 2 and 12 years of age, and those prone to migraine or dizziness.. Regarding the variables of the activity itself, it has been seen that the wider movements, where the head and body move, increase the possibility of cyber-migraine.

How can we prevent or combat it?

To prevent the symptoms of dizziness, different strategies have been found useful. In relation to the virtual reality technique, it is advisable to use a fixed point, staticin the recording, where the subject can focus the view and help him/her to avoid symptoms. If we do not have the static element we can also fix the view on the horizon of the image, because it has also been proven that it helps to reduce the effects.

Another technique to prevent the sensation of cyberdizziness is related to the creation of the virtual reality program; designers should try to ensure that the information coming from the different sensory systems is as unequal as possible; for example, to reduce rotational movements, the sensation of non-gravity or transportation.

Currently, the frequent use of mobile devices increases the occurrence of cyber dizziness symptoms. It is common to look at the cell phone in bed just before going to sleep, when the light is off, the screen of the device is very close to the face, and we do not stop surfing. These factors increase the risk of symptoms appearing. It would therefore be advisable, in order to prevent any effects, to do the same action with the light on and with the cell phone farther 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, being then more difficult to treat and reduce. Thus, when we notice the first effects of cybersickness, we should rest when we notice the first symptoms, when you notice the first effects of cybersickness, stop looking at your cell phone, computer or virtual reality screenso that you can rest your eyes and your body can regulate itself.