Boost your gaming performance with better sleep
Sleep is the most underrated factor for improving your gaming skills. You need a good amount of quality sleep to recharge your mental capacity. This includes having intense focus, fast reactions, and the mental ability to outsmart your opponent by making the right decisions.
If you don’t sleep well during the night, it will dramatically impact your performance. Even a single night of bad sleep can leave you tired and unfocused for the next day. Plus, you’re more likely to struggle with emotional and psychological stress, making it easier to become frustrated or tilted.
How much sleep do you need?
The ideal amount of sleep varies from person to person and depends on various factors such as stress and activity levels. According to the science of sleep, you need 8-10 hours of sleep if you are between 14 and 17 years old. If you are 18 years or above, you need 7 to 9 hours of sleep.
Good quality vs. bad quality sleep
It’s not just the amount of hours you sleep that is important, so is the quality of that sleep.
Common signs of good quality sleep
- You fall asleep soon after getting into bed
- You sleep straight through the night, not waking up more than one time
- If you wake up, you quickly fall back to sleep
- Shortly after you wake up, you feel rested and energized.
Common signs of bad quality sleep
- It takes 30 minutes or more for you to fall asleep
- You wake up two times or more during the night
- You stay awake for a while when you wake up at night
- You feel tired during the day and find it hard to focus.
How to get the best possible sleep
The following tips will help you create healthy sleeping patterns to make sure that you get the amount of sleep you need at the best quality possible.
- Go to bed and wake up around the same time each day.
- Go outside early in the morning to get 10-20 minutes of sunlight. This is effective even on cloudy days.
- Be active throughout the day by moving, walking, running, or working out.
- Stop drinking energy drinks or coffee after 2 PM.
- Build a healthy pre-bed routine to wind down.
- Minimize the amount of blue light in the evening. The light will trick your brain into thinking it’s daytime.
- Avoid using electronic devices at least 1 to 2 hours before bedtime.
- Relax your body right before going to bed. Stretching or slow breathing are great ways to do this.
- Sleep in a dark and cold room. Keep the temperature around 16 to 18 degrees celsius.
- Use earplugs if you’re sleeping in a noisy environment.
