Regular usage of virtual reality may reduce multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms, including pain and tiredness, and add enjoyment to exercise.
A New Option
Using a helmet or headgear with a screen and gloves with electrical sensors, computers create realistic 3D scenes that people can interact with in virtual reality.
VR headsets with screens include the Meta Quest 2 (previously Oculus Quest 2).
It comes with several preset games (primarily demonstrations), but you can download many different applications for enjoyable movement and meditation, as I wanted. You may also "visit" amazing places while working out or as a separate activity.
The Science Of Virtual Reality
The MS Center at Seattle's Swedish Neuroscience Institute was creating a VR program to manage MS pain and tiredness without becoming addictive or intrusive.
VR's ability to repair neural networks may engage the brain's plasticity, improving limb movement, balance, cognition, pain, and anxiety.
It's expensive at $400, but having something to train your body and mind anytime, anyplace, may be worth it. It's a bargain when you realize that the typical gym membership five years ago cost $58 a month or over $700 a year.
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Total Immersion
Putting on the new headgear immerses you in a customizable virtual world.
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Ski lodges resemble mountain cabins. The cabin ceiling appears. A gondola climbs the mountain to your left. Behind you is a chamber with a roaring fire, soothing lighting, and several windows beneath a high ceiling. To the right are additional snow-covered mountains. It's like you're at that ski lodge wherever you look.
The "environments" instantly soothe you. Meta Quest 2 has a crystal atrium, space station, Ryokan retreat, desert patio, and more.
These solutions are great for home workers who see the same things daily. It might seem repetitive. The VR headgear makes you seem like
you're on vacation whenever.
Boxing At Machu Picchu
Use a headset fitness app to exercise after relaxing.
Select workouts in this app. Preloaded destinations and great music accompany each exercise (and you can select the genre.) Amazing "destinations". The headgear lets you box in Machu Picchu and relax at Mirror Lake in Yosemite National Park.
A popular exercise includes striking balloons with various colored sabers in each hand. Balloons might arrive together, independently, or across your body. It's mental and physical.
Boxing, meditation, and stretching modules complement the balloon-swatting game. You're not alone. The program also has actual coaches who appear on screen in magnificent VR settings for warmups, cooldowns, and encouragement.
Set volume and difficulty. Other applications provide skydiving, underwater exploration, painting, and mini-golf.
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New Reality
VR may make you feel calmer after each "session." You may be sleeping better and having less fatigue and brain fog. The thrill of exercising while having fun will come back!
However, VR sets have more than fitness applications. Multiplayer games and virtual viewing parties are available on Meta Quest 2. You may watch 3D movies, Netflix, and YouTube; explore remote destinations on Google Earth; and meditate to reduce anxiety and set a mood. From just one piece of equipment, there's so much to see and do. It's like discovering a new universe that improves your mind, body, and social life.
A Word Of Caution
Despite being fun, VR units may make people dizzy, disoriented, or nauseous. After being engaged in VR for a while, these effects may develop.
If you have motion sickness, test it first to be sure it's enjoyable. Opening windows for fresh air or using antihistamines, aromatic oils, or ginger may help. Meta reps are accessible at certain Best Buy shops on weekends for demonstrations and inquiries. Meta also accepts returns for 30 days.
