A new study has found that one hour of playing fast-paced action video games before bedtime not only does not disrupt sleep quality, but may also reduce stress levels and improve certain cognitive skills the next day. The results of the experiment were recently published in the scientific journal Sleep Medicine.
A research team from the University of Campania, Italy, led by Oreste De Rosa, set out to examine how sudden mental load from learning a new video game affects sleep patterns and psychological well-being. The experiment involved 18 healthy young adults aged 18 to 35 who had little to no prior experience with video games.
Participants went through two testing phases. During the first phase, they spent three nights watching the crime drama series Money Heist for one hour before going to bed. In the second phase, instead of watching TV, they played the popular first-person shooter Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War for one hour.
Researchers monitored sleep using brain-activity sensors, and participants completed cognitive tests each morning.
One hour of virtual action gameplay had no negative effect on objective sleep quality. Time needed to fall asleep, duration of deep sleep, and the number of nighttime awakenings remained as stable as on regular days. Moreover, sleep efficiency after watching the TV series turned out to be slightly lower than after gaming sessions.
On the morning after playing, participants showed better results in visual-spatial working memory tests. Scientists explain this by the fact that learning new game mechanics and navigating a virtual 3D environment forced the brain to actively consolidate information during sleep.
Volunteers also reported lower daily stress levels after gaming nights. Interaction with an intense digital environment became a strong mental distraction from everyday worries for non-gamers.
Researchers emphasize that the results should not be seen as permission for late-night gaming marathons. The gaming session lasted strictly one hour and always ended 30 minutes before the planned bedtime. Long gaming sessions late at night, on the contrary, are known to cause serious sleep disturbances.
Gamers whose brains are already accustomed to virtual battles may not experience the same protective effect on sleep.
Reminder: A manga based on Silent Hill f has been announced.