How sleep problems contribute to simulator sickness: Preliminary results from a realistic driving scenario

Abstract

Virtual reality and simulation tools enable us to assess daytime functioning in environments that simulate real life as close as possible. Simulator sickness, however, poses a problem in the application of these tools, and has been related to pre-existing health problems. How sleep problems contribute to simulator sickness has not yet been investigated. In the current study, 20 female chronic insomnia patients and 32 female age-matched controls drove in a driving simulator covering realistic city, country and highway scenes. Fifty percent of the insomnia patients as opposed to 12.5% of controls reported excessive simulator sickness leading to experiment withdrawal. In the remaining participants, patients with insomnia showed overall increased levels of oculomotor symptoms even before driving, while nausea symptoms further increased after driving. These results, as well as the realistic simulation paradigm developed, give more insight on how vestibular and oculomotor functions as well as interoceptive functions are affected in insomnia. Importantly, our results have direct implications for both the actual driving experience and the wider context of deploying simulation techniques to mimic real life functioning, in particular in those professions often exposed to sleep problems.

Effects of synchronised engine sound and vibration presentation on visually induced motion sickness

“…Display resolution, field of view and angular velocity of the visual stimulus are also known factors associated with VIMS 19,21 . Individual characteristics such as sex 15 , age 5,22 , stress and driving experience 23 , as well as sleep problems 24 may affect the severity or probability of VIMS. In addition, VIMS could be reduced by the adaptation for repetitive experiences 10,25,26 , narrowing the field of view 17,27 , showing a "nose" in the visual field as a reference 28 , bone-conducted vibration to the vestibular system 29 and a comfortable music and smell 30 .…”

Event-Related Electrodermal Response to Stress: Results From a Realistic Driving Simulator Scenario

“…Only 12 participants were investigated, because we selected only right-handed women who did not show excessive simulator sickness symptoms on the habituation session, were not clinically depressed or anxious, and showed normal reactivity on the EDA signal. Particularly, simulator sickness levels posed problems for inclusion, because the realistic scenario may have induced more simulator sickness than in most studies in which monotonous driving is measured (Altena et al, 2018). The study protocol with several sessions separated in time further hampered study inclusion, despite financial compensation.…”

Insomnia does not affect heart rate changes when young adults watch humorous films: An exploratory study

“…Participants were recruited and screened as previously described (Altena et al, ), excluding those with a chronic psychiatric or other health condition (including cardiovascular disorders), taking psychotropic or hypnotic medication, having done shift work, who were pregnant or lactating, or showing drug or alcohol dependence. Participants refrained from using over‐the‐counter sleep medication whilst in the experiment.…”