Sleeping poorly after gaming is part of many gamers' everyday lives. You can find out why this is the case and how you can fall asleep peacefully after a round of COD or Fortnite here.
Table of contents
1. Why you sleep worse after gambling
2. 7 tips to avoid sleeping badly after gaming
3. Must-Knows
4. Sources
1. Why you sleep worse after gambling
Turn off your computer, go to bed and sleep as soon as your head hits the pillow? Many gamers can only dream of this. How well we sleep is individual and depends on many factors, such as when, how long and what you play.
Studies have found that some gamers sleep really well. All others had shorter REM phases after gaming shortly before sleep .
Excursus: REM phases as a prerequisite for recovery
REM phases are the phases of sleep that are responsible for brain recovery. That's why they have a significant impact on how refreshed you feel the next day. REM phases are also essential for your mental performance. Sleep researchers assume that you need to go through at least 4-6 REM phases per night to really feel rested. This corresponds to 6 - 7.5 hours of sleep.
a. Your hormonal balance is messed up
Especially thanks to the blue light. By the way, this doesn't just come from your screen. The sun also emits blue light. But only during the day. As soon as it sets, the natural light waves change, signaling your body that it's time to sleep. The sleep hormone melatonin is produced and the concentration of the stress hormone cortisol decreases.
You can read more about melatonin, cortisol and sleep quality here.
Blue light from artificial sources prevents this effect and makes you fall asleep more slowly. According to an Australian study, it takes about 40 minutes longer until you actually fall asleep immediately after gaming .
The good news: You can help boost your melatonin levels. Just Legends Sleep & Recovery provides you with 1 mg of plant-based melatonin, which helps shorten the time it takes to fall asleep and reduces the subjective feeling of jet lag. In combination with magnesium, valerian, passion flower and lemon balm extract as well as a small pinch of black pepper extract, nothing stands in the way of a quick slumber and a restful night.
b. Your heart rate increases
Games like Resident Evil Village , Biomutant or NieR Replicant don't exactly have a calming effect, do they? Fast games that require full focus and get you excited activate the sympathetic nervous system.
This is the part of your nervous system that is responsible for keeping your body in energy mode: breathing, heart rate, blood pressure and cortisol levels remain high and your body is always ready to give it its all. Going to bed in this mode makes no sense. At least not if you want to sleep.
At bedtime, the sympathetic nervous system shuts down and gives over to the parasympathetic nervous system. This is the part of your nervous system that is responsible for rest and regeneration and switches from performance to recovery. Only when the parasympathetic nervous system is in control do you fall asleep.
c. Your head stays in the story
And let's be honest: This is rarely pleasant. Planning the game strategy for the next session may be more exciting than planning the game strategy for the next team meeting or the next presentation, but it won't make you sleep better either. Dreams about night battles aren't exactly relaxing either.
2. 7 tips to avoid sleeping badly after gaming
So that's it for the reasons why sleeping badly after gaming is on the agenda for many gamers. Let's look at what you can do about it. On the one hand, about your computer, and on the other hand, about your sleep routine in general.
#1 Gamble earlier
It's actually bedtime, but you want to win another battle or finish the level before you actually go to bed? Fatal error. You sleep best when there are 60-90 minutes between play and bed.
It goes without saying that it's better not to do any HIIT training or eat a last meal during this time. Rather, treat yourself to a quiet walk and a portion of Sleep & Recovery so that your body slowly winds down and melatonin production gets going .
#2 Strategy instead of shooter
The more exciting and faster the game, the more active your nervous system. The more active the nervous system, the higher the cortisol level and the lower the melatonin level.
Studies have found that the length of time it takes to fall asleep and the quality of sleep directly correlate with the type of game: the faster and more violent the game, the higher the heart rate remained overnight. So it's better to play a round of Anno to wind down before you go to sleep.
#3 Eat earlier
Forgot dinner and want a quick portion of pasta between game and bed? Not a good idea. Food rich in fat and carbohydrates challenges your digestion and can cause you to sleep more restlessly at night and not recover properly. Ideally, you eat 2-3 hours before bed.
If you miss this and still need to snack on something, easy: eat a small protein-rich snack or a banana. Bananas contain magnesium and the amino acid tryptophan - the precursor to the sleep hormone melatonin. Together with a glass of Sleep & Recovery the perfect bedtime treat. Sleeping poorly after gaming should no longer be an issue.
#4 Leave the smartphone off
This is a bit of a nobrainer, but still worth mentioning. If blue light from the screen wakes you up, the blue light from smartphones, tablets, etc. will do the same. So do your daily mini digital detox between sleeping and gaming.
#5 Do a reset
Do you still need input for your head? Then read a book or try a guided sleep meditation using a meditation app. Admittedly, you have to pick up your smartphone for a moment, but only briefly and offline. Perfect to bring you into a different state of mind so you can sleep well even after gaming.
#6 Find your bedtime
Go to bed at about the same time every day. Your body will get used to it and after a few weeks it will automatically go into sleep mode at this time. Provided you give him at least a little screen-free time between gaming and sleeping.
#7 Play shorter games
An Australian study showed that teenagers who played for less than 50 minutes a day were still able to fall asleep and stay asleep easily. Those who played more lay awake for an average of 40 minutes and slept half an hour less.
If that doesn't work, Sleep & Recovery can help you: Drink a small glass about 15-20 minutes before you fall asleep. Sleeping poorly after gaming and that morning hangover feeling should be a thing of the past.
3. Must-Knows
- The overactivity of the sympathetic nervous system and, with it, too low melatonin levels are primarily responsible for poor sleep and slow falling asleep after gaming.
- Good sleep hygiene can help you sleep better.
- Melatonin helps shorten the time it takes to fall asleep.
4. Sources
Exelmans, L. (2015). Sleep quality is negatively related to video gaming volume in adults. J Sleep Res. 24, 189–196
Ivarsson M, Anderson M, Åkerstedt T, Lindblad F. The effect of violent and nonviolent video games on heart rate variability, sleep, and emotions in adolescents with different violent gaming habits. Psychosom Med. 2013 May;75(4):390-6.
Miskoff, JA, Chaudhri, M., & Miskoff, B. (2019). Does Playing Video Games Before Bedtime Affect Sleep?. Cureus, 11(6), e4977.
Peracchia, S., & Curcio, G. (2018). Exposure to video games: effects on sleep and on post-sleep cognitive abilities. A systematic review of experimental evidence. Sleep science (Sao Paulo, Brazil), 11(4), 302–314.
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