The Impact of Evening Gaming on Cortisol and Melatonin Levels: Findings from a Randomized Controlled Trial

IF 4.9 Q1 PSYCHOLOGY, EXPERIMENTAL

Computers in human behavior reports Pub Date : 2025-06-21 DOI:10.1016/j.chbr.2025.100729

André Alesi , Kristina Klier , Benedict Herhaus , Klara Brixius , Ingo Froböse , Matthias Wagner , Katja Petrowski

{"title":"The Impact of Evening Gaming on Cortisol and Melatonin Levels: Findings from a Randomized Controlled Trial","authors":"André Alesi , Kristina Klier , Benedict Herhaus , Klara Brixius , Ingo Froböse , Matthias Wagner , Katja Petrowski","doi":"10.1016/j.chbr.2025.100729","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Video games (VGs) are a popular form of entertainment, especially among younger individuals, yet their impact on sleep-related hormonal regulation remains unclear. This randomized controlled trial investigated the effects of evening gaming on cortisol and melatonin—key hormones in the sleep-wake cycle—compared to watching a nature film. Thirty-one male participants (aged 18–37) completed two conditions: 120 minutes of gaming (\"League of Legends\" or \"Counter-Strike: Global Offensive\") and 120 minutes of watching a nature film. Salivary samples were collected pre- and post-session and at waking (+15- and +30-minutes post-waking) the next morning.</div><div>Cortisol levels showed significant within-condition changes, but no significant differences between conditions were found (t(180.0) = 1.41, p = 0.16). The cortisol awakening response (CAR) increased 15 minutes post-waking and normalized by 30 minutes. Melatonin levels and the Area Under the Curve for Inhibition (AUCI) analysis for both hormones showed no significant differences between gaming and film.</div><div>These findings suggest that evening gaming among regular gamers, under controlled conditions, does not disrupt hormonal balance compared to passive film-watching. Habituation to gaming and environmental controls may have mitigated stress responses. Future research should investigate the effects of game novelty, varying player experiences, and diverse populations to develop guidelines for healthy gaming practices.</div><div>VG = video games; SCN = Suprachiasmatic Nucleus; HPA = Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (Axis); CAR = Cortisol Awaking Response; AUCI = Area Under the Curve for Inhibition; BMI = Body Mass Index; adc = active digital condition pdc = passive digital condition; IGD = Internet Gaming Disorder</div></div>","PeriodicalId":72681,"journal":{"name":"Computers in human behavior reports","volume":"19 ","pages":"Article 100729"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9000,"publicationDate":"2025-06-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Computers in human behavior reports","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2451958825001447","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"PSYCHOLOGY, EXPERIMENTAL","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Video games (VGs) are a popular form of entertainment, especially among younger individuals, yet their impact on sleep-related hormonal regulation remains unclear. This randomized controlled trial investigated the effects of evening gaming on cortisol and melatonin—key hormones in the sleep-wake cycle—compared to watching a nature film. Thirty-one male participants (aged 18–37) completed two conditions: 120 minutes of gaming ("League of Legends" or "Counter-Strike: Global Offensive") and 120 minutes of watching a nature film. Salivary samples were collected pre- and post-session and at waking (+15- and +30-minutes post-waking) the next morning.

Cortisol levels showed significant within-condition changes, but no significant differences between conditions were found (t(180.0) = 1.41, p = 0.16). The cortisol awakening response (CAR) increased 15 minutes post-waking and normalized by 30 minutes. Melatonin levels and the Area Under the Curve for Inhibition (AUCI) analysis for both hormones showed no significant differences between gaming and film.

These findings suggest that evening gaming among regular gamers, under controlled conditions, does not disrupt hormonal balance compared to passive film-watching. Habituation to gaming and environmental controls may have mitigated stress responses. Future research should investigate the effects of game novelty, varying player experiences, and diverse populations to develop guidelines for healthy gaming practices.

VG = video games; SCN = Suprachiasmatic Nucleus; HPA = Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (Axis); CAR = Cortisol Awaking Response; AUCI = Area Under the Curve for Inhibition; BMI = Body Mass Index; adc = active digital condition pdc = passive digital condition; IGD = Internet Gaming Disorder

查看原文本刊更多论文

夜间游戏对皮质醇和褪黑激素水平的影响：一项随机对照试验的结果

电子游戏（VGs）是一种流行的娱乐形式，尤其是在年轻人中，但它们对睡眠相关激素调节的影响尚不清楚。这个随机对照试验调查了晚上玩游戏对皮质醇和褪黑激素的影响，褪黑激素是睡眠-觉醒周期中的关键激素。31名男性参与者（年龄在18-37岁之间）完成了两个条件：120分钟的游戏（“英雄联盟”或“反恐精英：全球攻势”）和120分钟的自然电影。在实验前和实验后以及第二天早上醒来时（醒来后+15分钟和+30分钟）收集唾液样本。皮质醇水平在组内有显著变化，但组间无显著差异（t(180.0) = 1.41, p = 0.16）。皮质醇唤醒反应（CAR）在醒来后15分钟增加，30分钟恢复正常。两种激素的褪黑激素水平和抑制曲线下面积（AUCI）分析显示，游戏和电影之间没有显著差异。这些发现表明，与被动看电影相比，在受控条件下，经常玩游戏的人晚上玩游戏不会破坏荷尔蒙平衡。对游戏和环境控制的习惯可能减轻了压力反应。未来的研究应该调查游戏新颖性、不同玩家体验和不同人群的影响，以制定健康游戏实践的指导方针。VG =电子游戏；视交叉上核；下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺（轴）；CAR =皮质醇唤醒反应；AUCI =抑制曲线下面积；身体质量指数；Adc =有源数字状态，PDC =无源数字状态；IGD =网络游戏障碍

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

Computers in human behavior reports Psychology (General)

CiteScore

7.80

自引率

0.00%

发文量