Gamers Suffer Fewer Nightmares

One more benefit of heavy gaming? Reduce incidences of waking up in the middle of the night screaming “El Diablo”!

According to researchers from Grant MacEwan University in Edmonton, Canada, heavy gamers have fewer nightmares, but when they do, they tend to be more violent than non-gamers. Jayne Gackenbach, a researcher with the study, found that gamers were more likely to lucid dream (where one is aware they are dreaming and and control what happens). She also found that, in these dreams, the perspective would change from first-person to a third-person view–an option common in many games.

“Gamers are used to controlling their game environments, so that can translate into dreams,” said Gackenbach.

As for the violent dreams, gamers aren’t doomed to bloody nightmares. Our experience with controlling events in games gives us a hand in fighting back against our night demons.

Even though all this research is just preliminary, it looks promising for those that suffer from reoccurring nightmares or those with post-traumatic stress syndrome like combat vets. Treatment may just be a dose of video games.

[via Plugged In]