If you love to game, then you are going to need to make sure that your gaming does not get in the way of your actual health. Along with the great benefits gaming can provide, a lot of people find that gaming does actually harm them in some way or another, even if it is not always clear straight away just how this is happening. In this article, we are going to take a look at some of the bodily issues that gamers really need to be aware of, and what you can do to ensure that you are keeping these problems at bay for good.
RSI
One of the most common problems that gamers can sometimes get is Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI). With this, you are experiencing a pain in your wrist, hand or sometimes in your forearm related to all that gaming you are doing. It can happen for people who are doing a lot of typing too, so it is something that you are going to need to be aware of. You should ensure you take regular breaks, stretch out your wrists from time to time, and use an ergonomic controller whenever you possibly can. If you can do that, you will avoid RSI for the most part.
Back Pain
Another kind of pain the gamer might experience is back pain. This happens usually as a result of long hours in the gaming chair, especially if you are not really sitting up straight for a lot of that. To avoid this problem, make sure you are using a proper ergonomic gaming chair, and be conscious of your posture too. One simple hack that works very well is to use an obvus.me laptop stand – this keeps the computer higher up so you don’t have to slouch and crane your neck to see the screen, and that saves your back – literally!
Eye-Strain
Looking at a screen for too long can obviously strain your eyes, so you need to make sure that you are avoiding this if you can. All you really need to do to keep this at bay is to make sure you look away from the screen once every forty minutes or so, for about two minutes. If you can look in the distance at that time too, you are going to find that really helps. If you don’t look after your eyes, you might have problems with them in later life, so make sure you do.
I use these glasses to help reduce eye strain (I think they look kinda nice too!).
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Migraines
Some people get really unlucky and find they develop migraines whenever they are gaming. If this happens, you need to make sure that you are using the right screen kept at the right brightness. It’s also helpful if the screen is not the only form of lighting in the room, so that is something you might want to look into as well. If you can do that, you will avoid migraines for the most part – but if you do feel one coming on, be sure to stop playing immediately and take a break, drink some water too.
