Influence of esports on Sleep and Stress

Abstract. Recreative sleep and a low stress level are important health- and performance-enhancing factors in daily life. The present investigation examines the influence of esports on sleep and stress. In a counterbalanced within-subjects design, 44 participants (37 males, 7 females, 25.2 ± 4.6 years old) completed both a gaming and a nongaming session on two consecutive evenings. We assessed individual sleep duration and individual stress parameters via a Garmin® smartwatch in addition to a short subjective scale. The results show that, in the gaming condition, total sleep time was significantly lower than in the nongaming condition ( p = .003). The participants’ stress level was significantly increased after gaming compared to nongaming ( p = .005). Future research should not only examine the long-term effects of esports on health longitudinally, but also establish suitable sleep interventions and stress coping strategies.