What if Snorlax was right to sleep so much? What if sleep was one of the keys to becoming the best player one day? Would you be ready to sleep more to win all the challenges?
We all know it: sleep is essential for health. For a gamer, the intense pace of training can encroach on their rest cycle. According to research published by American scientists, seven out of 10 players sleep poorly. These sleep problems have harmful effects on our bodies and our gaming performance.
Knowing how to put your activity on pause is essential, but it is not always easy, especially when you want to become the best.
We’ve been there; a few years of experience have allowed us to incorporate the right methods to regain restorative sleep, which is synonymous with better performance during our gaming sessions. Ready to learn everything about sleep, its mysteries, and the secret to all its powers?
Sleep, the best regeneration potion
You probably remember your mother telling you: “If you don’t go to bed, I’m taking away your console!”.She was so annoying, right? Yet, moms are often right. Sleeping well is essential for a player of your level.
And do you know why? Because a good night’s sleep allows you to:
- Avoid behavioral problems
There is nothing worse than insomnia to make you totally glitch out. A bad night is sometimes enough to ruin your day (migraine, cold, muscle aches) but also your mood (depression, impatience, irritability, uncontrolled anger). The long-term effects can be devastating.
Losing your cool is not a good thing when you have to play as a team; always keep a steel mentality against your opponents because they will have no mercy for you.
Sleeping poorly also causes moments of daytime drowsiness... imagine if you fell asleep in the middle of a game of Overwatch: not sure your team would want to keep you!
- Avoid losing your reflexes
Sleeping too little or poorly directly affects your gaming performance. First of all, a brain that works in slow motion is a brain that won’t have the same reaction time as usual.
According to data from the National Sleep Foundation, 6 hours or less of sleep per night triples the risk of a road accident. This is due to reduced reflexes, lack of eye-hand coordination, and the risk of drowsiness.
Yes, if your brain is tired, we wouldn’t bet on your chances in a Mario Kart race. And your competitors will make mincemeat of your sleepy little face!
- Continue to see clearly
If you don’t sleep enough, your vision will be so foggy that you’ll feel like you’re in the world of Mist. You will see fog everywhere around you!
Joking aside, you should know that lack of sleep impairs the quality of your vision. Your peripheral vision will decrease and your eyes will start to show signs of weakness, which will have a direct impact on your gaming performance.
Your ocular system also needs to rest so that your visual acuity regains its full capacity and you can continue to crush your competitors with ease.
Video games versus sleep: fatality!
Video gaming has brought its share of new behaviors in many individuals, children or adults.
Pro gaming is a profession that can have consequences on sleep quality. It is interesting to know what repercussions video games can have on your sleep cycle.
- Video games as an energy boost
When you win, lose, or come close to the high score, your brain releases an excitatory neurotransmitter: dopamine. This substance plays a role in your day-night rhythm. To be able to fall asleep, dopamine levels must be lower; otherwise, your brain will remain in attack mode... until it calms down again, and that can take a long time if you have just come out of an intense game.
- Blue light, the sworn enemy of sleep
We talk to you about it regularly here: blue light is harmful to your eyes. This artificial brightness from our screens is the great adversary of sleep. It’s its Ganondorf, its Bowser, its Sephiroth.
This light acts on several levels:
On one hand, it slows down the production of melatonin, a hormone essential for synchronizing our body’s wake/sleep cycle.
On the other hand, it gives our psyche the impression that it is still daytime.
On one hand, it slows down the production of melatonin, a hormone essential for synchronizing our body’s wake/sleep cycle.
On the other hand, it gives our psyche the impression that it is still daytime.
You should know that there are two types of blue light:
- Blue-violet light: this is the most harmful to eye health. These are the rays that cause age-related macular degeneration. You must protect yourself from it as much as possible.
- Blue-turquoise light: this is the artificial brightness that acts as a real stimulant for wakefulness. It provides energy during the day, but you should avoid being exposed to it when night falls.
Tips and tricks for sleeping well
Sleep is one of the best natural remedies we have to get our body back in working order, both mentally and physically.
When you spend long hours playing, your body receives different signals that can disrupt your sleep cycle.
Added to this are new behaviors, such as playing late at night, which can impair the quality of your sleep and have real repercussions on your mental state.
- Have a schedule
Planning your gaming and training hours is an excellent way to organize your activity as a gamer. It allows you to know when to take breaks, moments of relaxation, meal breaks, but also and above all, to avoid disrupting your sleep rhythm.
The Horus-X team offers you a small pro gamer schedule to adapt according to your preferences:
- Wake up - 7:30 AM.
- Sport / Fitness - 7:30 AM to 8:30 AM
- Breakfast and shower - 8:30 AM - 9:00 AM
- Training - 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM
- Lunch - 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM
- Training - 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
- Break - 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM
- Training - 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM
- Dinner - 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
- Training - 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM
- Relaxing activity - 10:00 PM to 11:30 PM
- Sleep - 11:30 PM to 7:30 AM (to guarantee 8 hours of sleep)
- Do not play too late at night
Screens and light sources emit blue light whose intensity completely disrupts our biological cycle.
We recommend stopping all video game activity and the use of devices with luminous screens one to two hours before going to bed. Instead, prefer reading a book or reviewing the notes and game strategies your coach asked you to learn by heart.
Not playing in the evening allows your brain to rebalance its hormonal levels by producing the melatonin necessary to trigger your body’s resting process.
In case you decide to play, your brain will release this other hormone, dopamine, which will keep you awake and reduce your sleep time... Consequently, the next day, it will be you, the zombie you were eliminating the night before in Resident Evil.
Wearing protective glasses / gaming glasses is a super effective method to prevent the harmful effects of blue light. Thanks to high-tech frames, the lenses will absorb a large amount of this light to minimize its effects on your body as much as possible.
A good pair of gamer glasses means choosing the best combo: protecting your eyes from fatigue, avoiding the disruption of your sleep cycle due to screen light, and ensuring long-term eye and physical health. And therefore, performing at the top level in all circumstances.
If you really have major problems falling asleep, if you jump from one bout of insomnia to another every night, then you should consult an expert. It is the best solution for undergoing therapy with targeted recommendations to regain nights that are both gentle and complete, which are the key to regaining performance worthy of the name.
- Gaming glasses to protect your performance
Wearing protective glasses / gaming glasses is a super effective method to prevent the harmful effects of blue light. Thanks to high-tech frames, the lenses will absorb a large amount of this light to minimize its effects on your body as much as possible.
A good pair of gamer glasses means choosing the best combo: protecting your eyes from fatigue, avoiding the disruption of your sleep cycle due to screen light, and ensuring long-term eye and physical health. And therefore, performing at the top level in all circumstances.
- Consult a sleep doctor
If you really have major problems falling asleep, if you jump from one bout of insomnia to another every night, then you should consult an expert. It is the best solution for undergoing therapy with targeted recommendations to regain nights that are both gentle and complete, which are the key to regaining performance worthy of the name.
Our community manager sums it all up with his legendary charisma:
Conclusion
Ultimately, for a gamer, sleeping well should be just as important as good nutrition. Quality sleep is the best way to get all your health bars back to maximum.
To summarize, poor nights of rest lead to:
- concentration problems, a loss of your reflexes, and mood swings
- impaired vision, eyes that tire out more quickly, as well as moments of drowsiness
- repercussions on your rest cycle and harmful effects on your body and your eyes
There are effective solutions to ensure restorative sleep:
- Follow a schedule to structure your day and your rest hours
- Protect yourself against blue light with gaming glasses
- Avoid playing video games for one to two hours before going to bed
To summarize, poor nights of rest lead to:
- concentration problems, a loss of your reflexes, and mood swings
- impaired vision, eyes that tire out more quickly, as well as moments of drowsiness
- repercussions on your rest cycle and harmful effects on your body and your eyes
There are effective solutions to ensure restorative sleep:
- Follow a schedule to structure your day and your rest hours
- Protect yourself against blue light with gaming glasses
- Avoid playing video games for one to two hours before going to bed
Comments
Article à lire en famille même avec les plus jeunes pour effectuer une bonne prévention …merci