Uncontrolled gaming may affect your mental and physical health. Too much gaming can lead to gaming addiction while also putting you at risk of other health conditions associated with a sedentary life. If you are a gaming enthusiast, you need to do gaming in moderation to avoid addiction and other health conditions. You should also ensure you have the right furniture for your gaming sessions to reduce musculoskeletal problems such as back, shoulder and neck pains. Read on to discover why gaming can be bad for your health and how to mitigate the risks.
What is Gaming?
Gaming is an activity that involves playing games on an electronic device. Sometimes the games are used to pass time, played as a hobby, or as a gambling activity. Regardless of your reason for gaming, spending too much time on it can lead to gaming disorders.
A gaming disorder is a behavioural issue that leads to inability to control the gaming activity. If you have a gaming disorder, you may find you are spending too much valuable time behind your computer or your gaming device. A gaming disorder will also make you prioritize gaming over other important aspects of life such as working or attending classes.
Effects of Gaming on your Mental Health
Too much gaming is linked to anxiety, stress, depression, and sleep disorders. Anxiety and depression affect your concentration at work, which lowers your productivity. Prolonged anxiety and depression also lead to maladaptive behaviour and other psychological challenges. Anxiety makes patients prone to anger and violence, which are negative attributes in the workplace.
Sleep disorders like insomnia are also common in people who indulge in uncontrolled gaming. If you experience prolonged sleep deprivation, you will always be tired and unable to concentrate on other activities.
Effect of Gaming on your Physical Health
Lifestyle Diseases
Overindulgence in gaming makes you become less active. Gaming, therefore, increases the risk of lifestyle diseases such as obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. Although gaming is not a direct cause of lifestyle diseases, it encourages physical inactivity and a poor diet, which triggers most of these diseases.
You can reduce the risk of lifestyle diseases by incorporating physical exercises in between your gaming sessions. Taking some time off the gaming device and engaging in physical exercise not only reduces the risk of lifestyle diseases, but also the risk of eye problems and migraines.
Eye Problems
Uncontrolled gaming is linked to vision issues. If you are a gaming fan, you spend too much time staring at a gaming device's screen. This strains your eyes, since your eyes are not designed to withstand prolonged exposure to the glaring light from a gaming device. Eye strain can trigger migraines or cause dizziness, even after getting enough sleep. In some cases, excessive gaming may make you nauseous and trigger vomiting.
Body Aches
Too much sitting can lead to back, shoulder, and neck aches, especially if you are using the wrong furniture. If you are a gaming enthusiast, you need an ergonomic gaming chair. A good gaming chair has ergonomic features such as adjustable lumbar support with massage function, adjustable seat height, and a headrest. An ergonomic gaming chair also comes with an armrest and adjustable feet rest to enhance your comfort and reduce body aches.
Gaming injuries
Excessive gaming leads to repetitive use of the hands and arm muscles. The repetitive motion leads to overuse injuries to the muscles. If you spend too much time on your gaming device, you will start experiencing pain in the arms and hands. Continued gaming leads to a progression of muscle injuries, which then puts you at risk of developing numbness and weakness in the overused organs. Although the numbness and weakness may disappear when you rest, permanent injuries may occur if the gaming is not controlled.
Should You Stop Gaming Altogether?
Gaming has its positive side, as it allows you to relax and pass time in an engaging activity. It also helps you create a virtual social space as you interact with other gamers online. If done in moderation, gaming can help you beat boredom and refresh your mind for other important activities. However, you must get the right furniture to reduce body aches that may affect your productivity.
Some studies also show that gaming can be used to correct amblyopia, an eye condition that makes you see blurred images. The research is based on the increased attention that gamers give to gaming devices.
Contact Us for a Gaming Chair
Moderate gaming is fun, especially when done on a gaming chair. At FlexiSpot, we offer you ergonomic gaming chairs that not only amplify the fun, but also reduce the risk of body aches. Contact us today to order a gaming chair and remember to keep your gaming in check.
