Can Virtual Reality Help Improve Sleep?
When it comes to sleep, many of us struggle to maintain a regular and sound pattern. Whether you’re dealing with depression, insomnia, stress and anxiety, or simply day-to-day lifestyle related disruptions, your sleep cycle can be the source of much discomfort. Virtual reality (VR) has emerged as an intriguing way to tackle this issue. Read on to find out if the technology could help you improve your sleep.
Nowadays, VR is being used in a variety of ways, from gaming and entertainment, to physical and cognitive therapies. In the field of sleep, the technology has given us the opportunity to explore areas such as lucid dreaming and mental health. Those looking to experience better sleeping patterns or increase relaxation could potentially benefit from specialized VR experiences.
Recent studies have suggested that using VR to simulate environments that promote relaxation could help those struggling with poor sleep. The immersive effect of the technology is thought to provide an escape and refuge for those whose minds can be launched into uncontrolled inner states that can damage rest.
How VR Can Help Improve Sleep?
VR can offer sleepers an awareness of themselves and a physical environment that is often less anxious and more focused, enabling users to get a more refreshing sleep. The studies conducted demonstrate several ways to get access to a relaxative experience that can improve sleep quality. One way is to take part in customized virtual yoga relaxation classes; the calming music and the environment created could help take away the stress from the day to come.
In addition, adopting the ‘tactile’ approach, which sees users interacting with a calming scene through touch screen technology, has also proven to be effective. Many believe that this subtly encourages the user to reflect more deeply on their consciousness and enforces the effect of relaxation.
Who Can Benefit From VR Sleep Techniques?
Sleep disturbances are commonly found among individuals desiring to cope with difficult life events or health and mental conditions. VR is believed to help not only people with organic sleeplessness but also people who suffer from insomnia due to major depressive disorder. Here, a combination of light exposure therapy combined with a fully immersive VR experience could be used to treat their sleeping problems.
Older adults also generally experience sleep loss due to increased inflammation and loss of sleep-promoting hormones. As this group may find traditional treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy difficult due to a lack of motivation, VR technology is thought to be of great help. With the aid of VR, individuals can learn to increase their relaxation and sleep better, with the bonus of having less pain.
Finally, although clinical trials are still needed to confirm the effect of VR on sleep, people with physical disabilities or limited mobility conditions who suffer from sleep disturbances may gain equally from the technology. VR could provide a practical and accessible way of engaging with calming activities that traditional sleep clinical treatments cannot.
Benefits of Using VR to Improve Sleep
- Bring awareness to your body and environment
- Customizable virtual yoga relaxation classes
- Solutions tailored to various needs
- Engaging with calming activities
- Less pain and more relaxation
Conclusion
From helping those dealing with depression and insomnia, to those with physical disabilities, VR has the potential to provide a solution for better sleep. Although more research needs to be done to determine the lasting effects, the technology could soon become an affordable and convenient aid when it comes to improving one’s sleep cycle.