Sleep Characteristics of an International Sample of Adult Gamers

Abstract

Abstract Introduction About 65% of adult Americans report playing video games. Despite potential impacts to functioning, there is limited research on the relationship between video game use and sleep, specifically among adults. The present study expands upon the literature by describing demographic, video game, and sleep characteristics of an international adult sample of gamers. Methods The participants were 3,481 adults aged 18 to 74 who responded to an online questionnaire about video game use (i.e., quantity of play, most common game type), general sleep characteristics (i.e., sleep onset latency [SOL]; duration, sleep timing, and sleep quality), and gaming-specific sleep disruptors (i.e., game-related night awakenings and sleep delays). Most identified as cisgender male (79.8%) and white (77%). Results Participants reported an average SOL of 24.63 minutes, and most (64.5%) had a sleep duration from 7 to 9 hours with an overall average of 8.42 hours. Most (58.7%) reported that their sleep quality was fair to very poor. Bed and wake times were generally delayed, with 51% reporting a late evening or early morning bedtime and an average wake time of 8:28 am. A majority (81.2%) indicated that their bedtime was delayed due to game-related activities, but game-related night awakenings were less common. Conclusion Although many report a sufficient amount of sleep, adult gamers tend to report sleep disruptions in other domains, particularly regarding a delayed sleep schedule and poor sleep quality. This may be attributable to game-related bedtime delays or other game-specific factors (e.g., game type) that should be evaluated in the future.