Do video games cause insomnia or make it harder to fall asleep?!
Question: Well, recently over spring brake, I've been really absorbed in the first splinter cell, but I find that if I play it before I go to bed (or almost any video game for that matter) I either have difficulty falling asleep because my mind is still "stuck" in the game or wanders and it takes me hours to get to sleep, or I wake up at 2 in the morining and can't get back to sleep... So, could someone please tell me if video games cause insomnia?
Thanks!
Answers: Well, recently over spring brake, I've been really absorbed in the first splinter cell, but I find that if I play it before I go to bed (or almost any video game for that matter) I either have difficulty falling asleep because my mind is still "stuck" in the game or wanders and it takes me hours to get to sleep, or I wake up at 2 in the morining and can't get back to sleep... So, could someone please tell me if video games cause insomnia?
Thanks!
Yes they do. When you "see" the game playing in your mind, it means your mind is so preoccupied with the game that it doesn't want sleep. There are cases of people staying awake for several days because of this syndrome. Some people even died.
When I'm in that situation I will say "Fine, I'll play for 30 minutes and then I'm going to bed." Then as soon as the 30 minutes are up I turn off the console.
Then you have to not think about the game while you're trying to go to sleep, think about something else.
yeah if yr a freak
no
They don't cause insomnia, but they do keep you cognitively awake and resist sleep. Some people have the same effect from watching TV right before bed - it just depends on the person.
Quit roughly 2-3 hours before you go to bed and you should be fine. Do something that is less stimulating to your brain.