Sleep tips for gamers: how to play late and still sleep well

The best sleep tips for gamers come down to four things: end exciting sessions a while before bed, keep caffeine and energy drinks to the early part of the day, keep the same wake-up time, and make breathing at night easy. You don't have to quit late-night gaming to sleep better. Research on adults links more gaming with later bedtimes and poorer sleep, but most of that comes from the habits around the game, which you can change.

This guide is written for adult gamers. Here's what the research says and what to try.

Does gaming affect sleep?

Gaming can affect sleep, mainly by pushing bedtime later and keeping your brain switched on. In a 2015 study in the Journal of Sleep Research, researchers interviewed 844 adults aged 18 to 94 about their gaming and their sleep. After adjusting for age, gender, education, exercise and stress, more gaming predicted poorer sleep quality, more fatigue and more insomnia symptoms.

Each extra hour of gaming a day was linked to a bedtime 6.9 minutes later and a rise time 13.8 minutes later. The authors estimated that 30% of poor sleep quality among people who gamed more than an hour a day could be attributed to the gaming. They suggested screen exposure and arousal as likely reasons. It was a survey, so it shows an association rather than proof that gaming causes poor sleep.

The good news is that an association like this leaves plenty of room for habits. The same hours of play can sit very differently with your sleep depending on when they end and what you drink while you play.

Why is it hard to sleep after a late session?

It's hard to sleep after a late session because an exciting game keeps your body and brain alert. In a small 2005 lab study in the Journal of Sleep Research, seven young men played exciting computer games before a 2am bedtime, and on another night did a simple, low-effort task instead.

After gaming, their heart rate was higher and they felt less sleepy. They took longer to fall asleep and had less REM sleep than after the dull task. Interestingly, playing on a bright display versus a dark one made no difference to their sleep in that study. The excitement of the game mattered more than the brightness of the screen.

Light still plays a part. In a 2015 study in PNAS, 12 healthy young adults read on a light-emitting device for about 4 hours before bed for five evenings, and on other evenings read a printed book. On the device, they took nearly 10 minutes longer to fall asleep, released less melatonin in the evening, had their body clocks pushed later and felt less alert the next morning. Our guide to screens before bed looks at how much this matters day to day.

So the practical answer is a buffer. The NHS suggests relaxing for at least an hour before bed and not using devices like smartphones right before you go to sleep. For a gamer, that might mean ending ranked matches an hour before bed and switching to something slower, like a book, a shower or a podcast with the lights low.

How do caffeine and energy drinks affect gamers' sleep?

Caffeine and energy drinks can cut into sleep for hours after you finish them. For most adults, the FDA cites 400 milligrams a day, about two to three 12-ounce cups of coffee, as an amount not generally associated with negative effects. It adds that sensitivity and how fast people clear caffeine vary widely.

Energy drinks make that limit easy to reach. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) says a 16-ounce energy drink contains 70 to 240 mg of caffeine, and a small energy shot 113 to 200 mg. It notes there's no requirement to declare the amount of caffeine on the label, and that men aged 18 to 34 drink the most energy drinks. NCCIH also says large amounts of caffeine may cause heart rhythm problems and raise heart rate and blood pressure.

Timing matters as much as the total. In a 2013 study in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 12 healthy normal sleepers took 400 mg of caffeine at bedtime, 3 hours before bed or 6 hours before bed, and on another night a placebo. All three caffeine times disrupted sleep compared with the placebo. Taken 6 hours before bed, caffeine still cut total sleep by more than an hour on a home sleep monitor. In people's own sleep diaries, the 41-minute drop at 6 hours fell just short of statistical significance. The authors concluded the findings support avoiding substantial caffeine for at least 6 hours before bed, and the NHS similarly advises no tea or coffee for at least 6 hours before bed.

If you play in the evening, try switching to water or a caffeine-free drink after mid-afternoon. Our caffeine and sleep guide has more on finding your own cut-off.

Does a consistent schedule matter for gamers?

A consistent schedule matters because your body clock does best with a regular wake-up time. The NHS suggests waking up and getting out of bed at the same time every day, and not sleeping in after a bad night's sleep. It says adults need 7 to 9 hours of sleep on average.

That's the hardest tip for gamers, because weekends and new releases tend to mean late nights and long lie-ins. A workable middle ground is to pick a wake-up time you can keep most days, then count back 7 to 9 hours to find your bedtime. If you want a long session, start earlier rather than ending later. If you're short on sleep, our guide to napping explains how to nap without hurting the next night.

Do blue light glasses help gamers sleep?

Blue light glasses haven't been shown to help sleep clearly. A 2023 Cochrane review looked at 17 randomized trials of blue-light filtering lenses in adults. It found the effects on sleep quality were indeterminate, with mixed results across very different groups of people.

That doesn't mean light is irrelevant, only that the glasses aren't a proven shortcut. Ending sessions earlier, dimming the room and keeping the hour before bed calmer are steps with more behind them.

How can gamers breathe easier at night?

Gamers can breathe easier at night by checking for a blocked nose and an open mouth, two common reasons for snoring and a dry mouth. The NHS lists breathing through your mouth at night, which can happen with a blocked nose or when you sleep with your mouth open, among the main causes of dry mouth. It also advises against drinking lots of caffeine or fizzy drinks when your mouth is dry, which is worth knowing if you play with a can at your side.

If you wake up parched after late sessions, our guide to why you wake up with a dry mouth covers the common causes, and how to stop mouth breathing at night has steps to try.

For adults with a clear nose, a simple nose-breathing routine can make nights more comfortable. The Titan Sleep System pairs a nasal strip with a mouth tape, so one routine covers both your nose and a mouth that tends to fall open. It isn't a fix for late nights or caffeine. Check your nose with our nose test first.

We don't recommend mouth tape for children.

When should a gamer see a doctor about sleep?

See a doctor if poor sleep keeps going despite better habits. The NHS suggests seeing a GP if changing your sleeping habits hasn't helped, you've had trouble sleeping for months, or it's affecting your daily life in a way that makes it hard to cope.

Look out for signs of sleep apnea too. The NHS says to see a GP if your breathing stops and starts while you sleep, you make gasping, snorting or choking noises, or you always feel very tired during the day. Our article on snoring in young adults covers this in more detail.

See a doctor if your nose is blocked most nights, or if your mouth stays dry even after a few weeks of trying home remedies, which the NHS also lists as a reason to get checked. If you're pregnant, ask your clinician before trying any new sleep product. This article is general information, not medical advice.

Our pick (paid partner): Titan Sleep System

For gamers whose snoring, stuffy nose or open mouth is getting in the way of good sleep, our pick is the Titan Sleep System. We haven't tested or ranked sleep products ourselves; this is our recommendation.

Titan says the system pairs TitanAir Nasal Strips with Titan Bamboo Silk Mouth Tape as one nightly routine. Titan describes the strips as drug-free external nasal dilators with flexible spring-loaded bands, placed just above the flare of the nostrils on the soft part of the nose, not the bony bridge. It describes the tape as a soft, breathable bamboo silk strip worn horizontally across the lips, and suggests 20 to 30 minutes of daytime practice before the first night. A good time for that practice is during a relaxed solo session.

Titan says its products are third-party tested and certified PFAS-free, and its 30-night guarantee refunds you if your sleep isn't better after 30 nights.

Read next

• How late is too late for caffeine?
• Screens before bed: how much do they matter?
• Sleep hygiene tips that are worth trying

* This content is for informational and educational purposes only and is not medical advice. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or health condition. Talk to a qualified healthcare provider about your health.