Experts say using a screen before you go to bed won’t help you sleep, but gaming can be relaxing, and might even help you nod off.
Unwinding at night is now harder than ever, especially with the rise of social media. However, using technology to your advantage means you may be able to use screens to help you nod off. Many people turn to video games to relax at night, however, many computer games are violent, loud, and bright – which leads to mental and physical arousal. A 2018 study found that gaming at night increased heart rate, reduced feelings of sleepiness, and reduced the power of brain activity that occurs in the transition to sleep. Also finding that nighttime gamers took longer to fall asleep and spent less time in REM sleep.
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Speaking to gaming expert Stuart Dredge, who has been a gamer since he was young after his dad bought him a Commodore 64 computer at five years old, has now written various pieces on the matter of games and sleep.
As a father of two, he began to wonder if his teen sons playing certain kinds of games such as Apex, Legend and Fortnite was affecting their sleep negatively.
“The loop of modern gaming is very much about jumping right back in,” says Stuart, who is concerned this loop makes you not want to go to bed and try to sleep until you’ve at least won again.
Stuart also sees this in his gaming when playing FIFA online late at night.
“As I get tired, I start losing and I feel cross,” he says. “As I feel cross, I launch myself into the next match determined to make up for the last loss – and because I’m cross and tired, it becomes progressively harder to win.”
The solution, Stuart suggests, is to break the cycle much earlier, but the challenge is “having the wisdom to break the loop.”
Along with the adrenaline and desire to win, the blue light emitted by screens is often thought to interrupt the natural melatonin production (sleep hormone) produced by the body. A 2020 study by Harvard Medical School found that blue light suppresses the secretion of melatonin more than any other light. However, sleep researchers and psychologists at sleep clinic Wink Sleep have emphasised that the blue light being emitted from a screen needs to be “really bright” to affect the timings of a person’s body clock.
While it may not be the blue light affecting your ability to sleep after a gaming session, studies have suggested that playing violent games for too long before bed can have adverse effects on your nightly sleep. Medical news service, Medical Xpress, has reported that adolescents still experienced significant sleep disruptions caused by frequent awakenings throughout the night after playing violent video games for 50 to 150 minutes before bed, noting that the REM sleep in the boys who played the longest was reduced.
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Check out these relaxing games, perfect for winding down before bed!
1. Unpacking
Unpacking is a zen puzzle game following the story of an unnamed character throughout their life. Part block-fitting puzzle, part home decoration – players are invited to create living spaces whilst learning about the life they are unpacking. “Zen” is depicted through the soothing background music and subtle clicking and movement sounds. 8/10 IGN (available on Windows and Mac)
2. Mini Metro & Mini Motorway
Mini Metro and Mini Motorway are strategy simulation games about designing a subway map (Mini Metro) and motorways (Mini Motorways) for real-life and virtual cities. (Available on Windows and Mac)
3. Stardew Valley
Can you learn to live off the land and turn overgrown fields into a thriving home? In Stardew Valley the aim is to turn your grandfather’s overgrown farm into a thriving space full of animals, crops and your community. Rated 8.8 on Metacritic. (Available on Windows and Mac)
4. Coral Island
In this idyllic world, you’ll tend your crops, nurture your animals, and build a bond with the natural world around you…. One user describes the game by saying “the character designs are lovely, the animals are absolutely adorable, the music is gorgeous” (also mentioning that they’re obsessed with the mermaids.) Rated 9/10 by Steam users. (Available on Windows)
5. A Little To The Left
Indie and ‘home-made’ A Little to the Left is another game for puzzle fans. With charming illustrations and quick-to-solve puzzles, the game is both satisfying and relaxing. Rated 9/10 by Steam users. (Available on Windows and Mac)
6. Minecraft
Minecraft, the original and most famous sandbox block game. Explore three-dimensional worlds by discovering raw materials, tools, items, and more and build whatever structures, earthworks and machines you can imagine, Minecraft can be the ultimate game for relaxation.
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It may be difficult to look at games as affecting one person in one way. For example, in Stuart’s experience – some people can watch the goriest, most shocking, horror films and sleep soundly, while others can watch one mild peril scene and wake up screaming at three in the morning. However, to encourage better sleep, it may be best to stay away from the up and down emotions that certain genres can bring.
Alternatively, ASMR can guarantee some sleep-inducing benefits for listeners. Curious? Read all about it in ‘Whispers from the world of ASMR’