Kotaku said:A research study at the University of Arkansas has indicated that excessive gaming interferes with sleep. Thank goodness that mystery has finally been solved.
Research studies sound like a great deal of fun. You get to arbitrarily assign values and definitions and then cull data based on those arbitrary assignments in order to get obvious answers! Take this University of Arkansas study, which was presented at the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies on Monday, surveyed 137 students - 87 females and 50 non-females, you know, to preserve balance...somehow. They then separated the results for excessive gamers from the casual or non-gamers, defining excessive as those who spend more than 7 hours a week playing computer games or using the internet.
My mother spends over seven hours a week using the internet. By this study's standards, my mom is hardcore.
Principal investigator Amanda Woolems indicated that previous research has determined that excessive gamers spend less time in bed. True, though I'd say that depends on the frequency of save points in whatever game I might be playing at the time and whether or not I've fallen asleep in my recliner. This study's findings?
"Our statistics revealed that those who admitted addiction scored higher on the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (sleepiness)," said Woolems. "It surprised us, however, that of the people who admitted being addicted to gaming, only about a third of them recognized an interference with their sleep."
The Epworth Sleepiness Scale is based on a test in which you rate your likeliness to fall asleep in several different situations, such as reading a book, watching television, or stopped at a particularly long intersection. It's the sort of scale I'm surprised doesn't come into play more often, like when you're calling in sick for work. "Sorry, I'm about a 22 on the Epworth Sleepiness Scale boss."
As for the results, one has to look at the numbers to have them make more sense. The study found that only 12.6 people admitted to being addicted to gaming, while 10.81 reported that gaming interfered with their sleep. That's 17 and 15 people, rounded up. One also has to keep in mind that they are polling university students on their sleep habits, and basing their findings against the American Academy of Sleep Medicine's recommendation that adults get 8 hours of sleep per night and adolescents get 9. I'd say that to the vast majority of us, those numbers are a bit unrealistic. Eight hours of sleep is what I get if I pulled an all-nighter the previous evening. From what I remember of my college days...well let's just say I don't remember much, probably due in part to lack of sleep.
In case you were interested, those 15 people who reported that gaming interfered with their sleep spend 1.6 hours less than other gamers, while those 17 who claimed to be "addicted" slept one hour less on weekdays. To put that into perspective, between work gaming and recreational gaming, I probably average about 5 to 6 hours per night, though I generally average less during the weekdays, making up for lost sleep by falling asleep at particularly busy intersections.
Anyway, the study still stands. Excessive gaming, especially gaming that interferes with sleep, can make you tired...as can excessive listening to music, excessive watching of entire seasons of Weeds at 2am, and excessively writing up the results of research studies.
http://kotaku.com/5286938/gaming-instead-of-sleeping-makes-you-tired
Destructoid said:I'll be damned. So everyone doesn't stay up into the wee hours of the morning playing games? It's just gamers? And that makes them tired?
Not to poo poo on anyone's research or anything, but I could have told you that. But this data, which is to be presented at SLEEP 2009, the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, gives us some hard numbers and facts.
It turns out that those that game over seven hours a week and those who call their habit a gaming addiction sleep less during the week than other gamers, about an hour less. Those who said gaming inteferes with their sleep lose about 1.6 hours a weeknight. It seems that "excessive gamers" spend less time in bed, have longer sleep latency and shorter REM latency. I don't know exactly what that means, but it sounds bad.
So now there's a correlation between hours of games played an sleepiness. And again, I say no shit.
*yawn*
http://www.destructoid.com/study-gamers-sleep-less-than-non-gamers-135660.phtml
Science Daily said:ScienceDaily (June 8, 2009) — Computer/console gamers who play for more than seven hours a week and who identify their gaming as an addiction sleep less during the weekdays and experience greater sleepiness than casual or non-gamers, according to a research abstract that will be presented on Monday, June 8 at SLEEP 2009, the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies
Results of the study indicate that excessive gamers have significantly poorer sleep hygiene and sleep less on weekdays than other gamers; a significant positive correlation was found between the hours of game play and sleepiness. Gamers who reported that their gaming interfered with sleep slept for 1.6 hours less than other gamers, while those who claimed to be addicted to gaming slept one hour less on weekdays.
According to principal investigator Amanda Woolems, at the University of Arkansas in Little Rock, AR., previous research has shown that excessive gamers spend less time in bed, have longer sleep latency and shorter REM latency.
"Our statistics revealed that those who admitted addiction scored higher on the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (sleepiness)," said Woolems. "It surprised us, however, that of the people who admitted being addicted to gaming, only about a third of them recognized an interference with their sleep."
The study examined data from 137 students recruited from the university who were enrolled in introductory psychology courses. Participants' mean age was 22 years and a majority of the sample was women (86). Gamers were classified as casual or excessive (those who spend more than seven hours a week using the internet and playing computer games), based on a demographic questionnaire and sleepiness was assessed subjectively through questionnaires. Of the total sample, 10.81 percent reported that gaming interfered with their sleep and 12.6 identified themselves as being addicted to gaming.
Authors of the study suggest that maladaptive sleep hygiene found among excessive gamers is a target for intervention to promote improved sleep.
The AASM recommends that adults get eight hours of sleep per night and that adolescents get nine hours. Tips to improve sleep hygiene are available at http://www.sleepeducation.com/Hygiene.aspx
Those who suspect that they might be suffering from a sleep disorder are encouraged to consult with their primary care physician or a sleep specialist at a sleep center accredited by the AASM.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090608071802.htm
Survey Says... no shit!