By | April 30, 2025
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How To Avoid Cybersickness

Cybersickness (also known as digital motion sickness or VR sickness) happens when your brain receives conflicting signals from your eyes and inner ear—like when you’re in a virtual environment or scrolling rapidly on a screen. Symptoms can include nausea, dizziness, headaches, eye strain, and fatigue.

Here’s how to avoid or reduce cybersickness:

🧠 1. Take Frequent Breaks

  • Follow the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
  • Limit screen or VR sessions to short durations and take breaks in between.

📱 2. Limit Smooth Scrolling and Fast Movement

  • Avoid rapid scrolling or watching fast-moving content (e.g., shaky handheld videos or fast-paced gaming).
  • In VR, opt for teleportation movement instead of smooth locomotion, which causes more motion mismatch.

🔧 3. Adjust Display Settings

  • Increase refresh rate (aim for 90 Hz or higher in VR).
  • Adjust brightness, contrast, and font size for better visibility and comfort.
  • Enable motion reduction settings on phones or tablets (like iOS’s “Reduce Motion”).

👁️ 4. Use Anti-Motion Sickness Glasses or Apps

  • Some glasses are designed to stabilize your peripheral vision.
  • Apps or browser extensions can reduce scroll speed and motion effects to make reading or browsing smoother.

🪑 5. Stay Physically Grounded

  • Sit in a stable chair or stand on a solid surface during VR sessions.
  • Keep your head still and try to move your body in sync with virtual movement when possible.

🥤 6. Hydrate and Eat Light

  • Avoid using screens or VR on an empty stomach or right after a heavy meal.
  • Stay well-hydrated, as dehydration can worsen symptoms.

👓 7. Use Corrective Lenses If Needed

  • Blurred or unfocused vision can make cybersickness worse.
  • Make sure you’re wearing updated glasses or contact lenses, especially in VR.

🧘 8. Build Up Tolerance Gradually

  • Start with 5–10 minute sessions and slowly increase over days or weeks.
  • Repeated short exposures can help your brain adapt over time.

🌬️ 9. Use a Fan

  • Having cool air blowing on your face can reduce nausea and help reorient your senses during screen use or VR.

🛏️ 10. Stop at the First Sign of Symptoms

  • If you feel dizzy, queasy, or tired—stop immediately and rest.
  • For some people, pushing through worsens the symptoms and delays recovery.