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Overindulging in Computer Games Leads to Consciousness Obesity

Are computer games anything like food? Is your child's consciousness over-weighted? Is your child difficult to put to sleep at night? Do they have trouble with sleeping at night? Do they play computer games up until it is bedtime? Do you use allowing your child to play computer games as a reward?

If you can relate to any of these questions, here is something to consider. Start looking at computer games like food. Just as an obese child needs to have their food intake moderated, that is, their decisions on eating should be directed toward proper quality, substance, time and amount; so a child who enjoys playing computer games needs their intake thoughtfully directed. Computers are a great tool for our children to use as it is very good at increasing eye hand coordination, analytic thought and just plain computer skills. But there is a time and place for everything and just prior to bed time, is not one of them. And its not necessarily only computer games that can be a problem.

Studies have shown that, and this should be common knowledge by now, eating within 3 hours of bedtime is asking for increasing one's weight. The same could be said of playing computer games prior to bedtime. Only rather than increasing your child's weight, it is increasing their mind and body's desire for more activity. A good daytime benefit, but not so much at bedtime.

A recent study showed that children who played computer games for extended periods of time, or just before bedtime, lowered the overall amounts of melatonin in their system, a chemical involved in regulating sleep cycles. Melatonin is also used with ADHD children in conjunction with their medication, to help them to more quickly fall asleep and later to return to sleep more quickly when they wake in the night.

A National Sleep Foundation article, "School Daze: Kids, Computers and Sleep" states: "Most sleep experts advise against using a computer for any purpose immediately before bedtime, because a bright computer screen is believed to affect the biological rhythms that govern sleep."

The article on their web site goes on to say that a Japanese White Paper on Communications showed that 53.7% of Internet users in Japan had delayed their times for going to bed and 45.4% of them had shortened their sleeping hours. Apparently, using a computer for any kind of engaging or exciting activity prior to bedtime triggers the body's responses to staying awake.

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