Study Finds Gaming Isn't Bad for Sleeping After All

[Woodsey]

1. "The median time to sleep was 7.5 minutes after gaming and three minutes after watching the movie."

Fuck me, I wish I could get to sleep that fast - takes me at least half an hour!

2. "Michael Gradisar of Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia"

Why am I not surprised?

 

[Ricotez]

I can't say I completely agree with this. I've noticed myself I take longer to fall asleep if I go to bed right after gaming, than when I shut down my computer a bit earlier and read a book before going to sleep.

You tried TV? Does it have the same effect?
Then again it depends on the game if it gets you pumped up. Playing Yu-Gi-Oh is fun, but you can always turn off if you're losing

Strangely, TV doesn't have the same effect on me. It's probably because games require your constant attention, forcing you to concentrate on what you do, whereas when you're watching TV you simply tune in your ears and eyes and are free to do whatever you want with your brain after that...

 

[CuddlyCombine]

I can't say I completely agree with this. I've noticed myself I take longer to fall asleep if I go to bed right after gaming, than when I shut down my computer a bit earlier and read a book before going to sleep.

Yes, but that's a completely unfair comparison. Reading a book requires far less concentration than playing a video game. If you were studying and analyzing the book before you went to sleep, I'm sure you'd find that it would take you significantly longer.

Granted, the study's comparison is also a bit unfair; watching a movie will always involve less interaction than playing a game. If it had been a horror movie, they'd all have been wide awake by the time the gaming kids fell asleep.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Cheryl Olson, co-director of the Center for Mental Health and Media at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and co-author of Grand Theft Childhood [http://www.amazon.com/Grand-Theft-Childhood-Surprising-Violent/dp/0743299515/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1271350092&sr=8-1], echoed concerns about the limits of the laboratory, saying, "Other studies have shown problems with children using media instead of sleeping.

Like watching March of the Penguins, perhaps?

On a side note, yes, I do find it rather amusingly ironic that Australia, the land of no R18+, has academics conducting research in which 13-year-old boys play Modern Warfare.

We must find which dreadful retailers sold it to them and charge them with bringing Michael Atkinson's name into disrepute! Those games make it hard for teenagers to sleep, you know!

But not as ironic as having studies where they spy on teenagers sleeping, to make sure they're not getting wound up by playing games.
"Don't worry, we'll be watching over you as you sleep..."

All we need now is a study that confirms that playing Mario gets you laid.

But your girlfriend is in another castle...

 

[Ricotez]

Yes, but that's a completely unfair comparison. Reading a book requires far less concentration than playing a video game. If you were studying and analyzing the book before you went to sleep, I'm sure you'd find that it would take you significantly longer.

Granted, the study's comparison is also a bit unfair; watching a movie will always involve less interaction than playing a game. If it had been a horror movie, they'd all have been wide awake by the time the gaming kids fell asleep.

It's not an unfair comparison at all. Video games simply require far more concentration than reading a book or watching TV, that's just the way it is. It might also do the exact opposite; by mentally depleting you, it might even make it easier to fall asleep. I'm just saying it does not do that for me. In the end, these things differ from person to person.

 

[RikSharp]

The study involved 13 boys aged 14 to 18 years

On a side note, yes, I do find it rather amusingly ironic that Australia, the land of no R18+, has academics conducting research in which 13-year-old boys play Modern Warfare

you mean 14 year old boys, surely...
i agree though, the game is rated 18 in every country where that is available so why is it acceptable for sub 18 year old kids to play it in australia? did they tone it down somewhat?
at the start of team deathmatch does an elected representative from each team broker peace, or do they still shoot each other in the face?

 

[TheDoctor455]

Okay... here's my response to the critics... "dose" or "dosage" are terms that only apply if you're dealing with a CHEMICAL that does something to the human body. This can be anything from food to crack, but video games, like board games, watching movies, or playing sports, is an ACTIVITY. Thus "dosage" does not apply in this case.

 

[Spinwhiz]

I actually find it very difficult to sleep after playing an FPS for more than an hour. I have no problem however with story based games such as RPGs.

 

[JourneyThroughHell]

I actually find it very difficult to sleep after playing an FPS for more than an hour. I have no problem however with story based games such as RPGs.

Exact opposite for me.
Very often I finish games in the evening and then can't get asleep because I'm still rethinking the outcome of the story.
Hell, I even couldn't sleep after Killzone 2 and not because of the action, but because of the badass ending cutscene.

 

[Lord Mountbatten Reborn]

How the hell does it take these children 3 minutes to fall asleep after watching a film, and 7.5 after a game? What sort of super children are these? I take frickin' hours to fall asleep!

 

[Kinshar]

I think people lose sight of personal discipline as a factor in behavior. If you are disciplined you can shut down the game, shut off the TV or close the book. Since video games are a form of escapism from the hassles of existence the weak willed, including myself, have trouble putting them down. However, if you are predisposed to insomnia you might as well keep doing whatever is distracting you because sleep is not coming anytime soon.

 

[Lonan]

This has no relevance to sleep. Bright light supresses melatonin, which is what makes you feel tired. Melatonin levels start to rise around 9 p.m., so if your eyes are 1 or 2 feet from you're monitor at this point, you will reduce the increase of this pro-sleep hormone. Being in front of a computer in a darkened room is very bad (so says my psychiatrist). Also, using the computer or watching TV in bed is also bad for sleep because you're place of sleep should be a place of relaxation, not one of activity which is suppressing you're melatonin seconds earlier. Watching TV (in a different room) is fine because of the inverse square function, which dictates that less light gets to your eyes as you are further away from a screen. So this study means nothing. If they read a book under an incandescent lightbulb in a different room before going to bed, it would be MUCH better than March of the Penguins. It also doesn't say when they went to bed. Melatonin levels peak at 11 p.m.

As for gaming not being bad for sleeping, if you are gaming in front of a computer after 9 p.m., it is.

 

[Twad]

just 13 individuals?! Thats WAY too small to be solid. That study and its methodology seems pretty weak all-around.

 

[SilverUchiha]

Is this study really legitimate? We're comparing a boring documentary to an action game. If anything, they need to compare an action-movie to an action-game so that way the amount of interest in either activity is about equal. Show a fucking documentary, of course people are going to fall asleep in it. This was a biased study from the start.

Either that, or throw in an incredibly boring videogame to match your penguin study. (I'm sure Yahtzee would recommend "The Witcher" or something for this scenario).

 

[CuddlyCombine]

It's not an unfair comparison at all. Video games simply require far more concentration than reading a book or watching TV, that's just the way it is. It might also do the exact opposite; by mentally depleting you, it might even make it easier to fall asleep. I'm just saying it does not do that for me. In the end, these things differ from person to person.

A game isn't going to 'mentally deplete' you unless you've been playing it for 3 days straight. And I think you mean to agree with me, because you're saying the exact thing I'm saying; they're two completely different activities. A game is going to require more concentration and will therefore cause a heightened state of awareness. You don't need a study to determine that people who game before they sleep will take slightly longer to hit the hay.

 

[TheComedown]

The study involved 13 boys aged 14 to 18 years

On a side note, yes, I do find it rather amusingly ironic that Australia, the land of no R18+, has academics conducting research in which 13-year-old boys play Modern Warfare

you mean 14 year old boys, surely...
i agree though, the game is rated 18 in every country where that is available so why is it acceptable for sub 18 year old kids to play it in australia? did they tone it down somewhat?
at the start of team deathmatch does an elected representative from each team broker peace, or do they still shoot each other in the face?

Well when games get the R18+ badge else where, we usually get the EXACT same game unaltered at MA15+ so here only 1 year group where technically underage for this study, all tho hopefully we'll have the R18+ rating soon

 

[Mr. Mike]

i find gaming doesn't effect my sleep at all. tho that could be partly cause I'm up until my eyelids will close whether i want them to or not... they seem to be telling me this now.

On a side note, yes, I do find it rather amusingly ironic that Australia, the land of no R18+, has academics conducting research in which 13-year-old boys play Modern Warfare.

yes this is our country filled with hypocrites... tho MW came out as MA15+ so only a few of the boys where underage. anyway no matter where you are these underage kids are playing these games either way so it was a little more accurate for the study.

Well the MA15+ isn't a restriction, it's a recommendation. And I'm sure they had proper adult supervision to explain that it wasn't real.