How can you maintain a healthy sleep schedule while working in game development?

Consistency is critical. Each human has the potential to find their FLOW state for productive work - that time where thoughts, ideas, and creativity are more easily accessible. Everyone is different. For me, early mornings are best, before the family wakes, as it allows for pure focus knowing that they are both safe, and near.

One trick many of clients like to use is to set a bedtime alarm. One of my clients even sets three different ones: At 10 pm to start to get ready for bed At 10:30 pm as a goal to be in bed and start a meditation exercise At 10:45 pm to go to sleep.

In my work with organisations, I get their people to focus more on a consistent wake up time, as we can control this, while a consistent targeted sleep time is helpful, if you do not feel sleepy then you shouldn't be going to try and sleep. It is also important to make sure the targeted time is in line with your body's rhythm. An owl trying to go to bed at 9 in the evening will in most likelihood end in failure...

Absolutely not! Game development is a complex and creatively demanding field. Balancing work and personal life can be a real challenge due to the constantly changing nature of the industry and the high standards for user engagement. I'm constantly in a learning mindset, staying updated on new technologies and techniques.

During my days in Naval academy ive seen that tou get more productive if you push yourself during the weekdays and let loose and relax during the weekends. Maintaining an early rise in the morning will let you accomplish many things until lunch time in which you shouldn't do in front of a computer but at a table, with family or friends to clear your mind until round 2. Maybe get a paowernap in if you are working from home. Excersise will help again with the clearing your mind and maybe figure out the solutions on the problems you are facing. Start again your work fresh at around 1500 until dinner time and then stop. Tomorrow is a brand new day.

Caffeine stays in your system well beyond 6 hours. The half-life is typically between 4-7 hours: meaning caffeine levels are at 50% 4-7 hours later and still at 25% 8-14 hours after consumption. The half-life and the sensitivity to caffeine differs from person to person but most people cannot notice an impact on their sleep of caffeine, even when it objectively hurts their sleep (e.g., making their deep sleep less deep). Therefore I recommend experimenting with caffeine and first slowly weaning off of it (a quick detox can result in headaches). Once you are off, try 14 days without caffeine and then reintroduce caffeine in low doses just in the morning and notice the impact on your sleep, performance and anxiety levels.

Avoiding alcohol will let you down. Alcohol is the main key to keep your mental strength on this journey. Go with beer mostly and tequila.

To maintain an equilibrium in life and work, one must avoid substances that disrupt sleep, such as caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine. Their effects on sleep are detrimental, slashing the quality of rest and leaving individuals in a state of semi-alertness, which is counterproductive to both game developers and esports enthusiasts who rely on sharp reflexes and clear decision-making.

Taking time to unwind properly in the evening sets the stage for good sleep. Instead of focusing only on what to avoid before bed, think about adding relaxing self-care rituals. Have a warm bath or shower to wash away the stresses of the day. Listen to calming music, read an engaging book, or do gentle yoga stretches. Spending quality relaxing time with family or pets can help you destress. Whatever makes you feel comforted and at ease is best.

As a triathlete I only allow myself to consume caffeine, I won't go into the negative effects of nicotine or alcohol either, I think we all understand the danger it poses to our bodies. Avoid caffeine intake for the first 90 minutes of your day and let your body wake up naturally. If you are going to exercise, it is fine to drink your coffee. This will help avoid the afternoon-crash. Andrew D. Huberman has a few podcasts dedicated to the subject.

With cool we generally mean between 17-19 degrees Celsius or 62-66 degrees Fahrenheit, as studies have shown this to lead to the best sleep.

I've found it useful, if I'm having trouble sleeping, to turn on a movie that I know quite well and not watch it, just listen. For me, it's the Princess Bride. I can just about recite it. I don't have any need to watch it, I know what's going to happen. Since it's the only noise in the room, my brain focuses on it but because I know it so well it's just white noise. Lately, I don't even make it to the first "Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya..."

A sound sleep is very important to feel energetic and motivated for the new day's work. Choose a place where you can sleep without any disturbance for at least 6-7 hours. If you have school-going kids , it is always better to go to bed early so that you won't lose your sleep when the kids wake up early in the morning for their school. I never use alarm clock if there is no do-or-die situation with a project because I always believed that you should get adequate rest for being productive in your professional life

A serene sleeping environment is a sanctuary for rejuvenation. This is a shared goal for anyone under stress, from game developers to students and esports players. Optimal room conditions and comfortable bedding are not luxuries but necessities for deep rest, which in turn fuel one's ability to perform and maintain cognitive stamina in both creative tasks and competitive gaming.

Avoid your cellphone at least one hour before going to sleep. This works like a charm. However, the truth is sometimes you will dream about the project you are working on.

One often overlooked factor when it comes to the effects of light is: brightness. It’s not just about the wavelength of the light (with shorter - cooler, blue-er light being most relevant for our biological clock), but also about the brightness of the light. Therefore: always turn down the brightness of the screens around you. I recommend starting this about 3 hours before your bedtime. And don’t only focus on light coming from screens! Also consider your other house lights: bathroom lights and fridge lights are notoriously bright! If the sun sets late in the summer, you might want to draw the curtains about 3 hours before bedtime.

As humans, our 24-hour sleep-wake cycle is programmed by light, which is why a blast of morning daylight anchors and strengthens our natural sleep-wake pattern. If we can tune into this basic biology of sleep and work with it, rather than against it, for example by setting up the right light cues at the right time of day, we can not only support our body clocks and improve our sleep, we can also boost our overall mind-body health.

I would also add that another factor that could disturb sleep is the nature of the content that is viewed on the device as you approach bedtime. Best to avoid ‘stressful’ content that induces anxiety!

I highly recommend setting blue light filter schedule is this app called flux. It’s very handy and makes a big difference in reducing blue light exposure especially when it’s night time. Word of caution if you are someone working with Colors, make sure to turn it off!

Minimize the blue light exposure by adjusting the operating system settings and the monitor settings. Stay off your phone and social media.

Actually, exercise whenever you can! It’s better to exercise for your overall health and sleep, than to skip it completely only because it’s close to your bedtime. The impact of the timing close to bedtime differs a lot between individuals, so do what feels right for you. And if you are sensitive to late night exercise but cannot move it to earlier in the day: make it less intense and help your body cool down after the exercise session. A warm bath or shower can actually help dilate your blood vessels and help you release heat.

Professional Boundaries are super important, when are you 'at work' and when are you not, especially if you are not working in an office and work from home. It can be really tempting to get sucked into the work when you view your email out of hours or are even developing or coding on the same machine. I know several developers who have a setup for work and a separate setup for relaxation. Ultimately no amount of tech will help if you can't stop thinking about work. BUT remember if you're employed, you have a contract and that sets the expectation. In your diary make sure you put in the unmoveable big rocks for health and fitness, family events and other things which come before meetings and work, that way you won't miss out.

For one –?don’t call yourself a ‘bad sleeper’ or an ‘insomniac’! Our words change our feelings, hormones, perceptions, expectations and behaviour including our sleep. So a shift in mindset gets results. You may not have slept well last night, but you can make small changes during your day so that you're set up to sleep better tonight.

Game development can be a high-stress profession, with tight deadlines, creative challenges, and problem-solving. Regular exercise is an excellent way to manage stress. When you engage in physical activity, your body releases endorphins, natural mood lifters that help reduce stress and anxiety. By lowering your stress levels, you'll be in a better state of mind when it's time to sleep.

What I've discovered that helps me is to clear your mind. When you're finishing your work, jot down all the thoughts in your head. This way, you won't have to remember everything, and you can continue from where you left off the next day. Another thing that works for me along with this is taking a hot shower.

First having a ideal time of when you want to sleep is important. Since you are working in the game dev field or possibly a creative field, sticking to that time could be hard or easy. It depends on the person. But what can help is, an hour or so before going to bed, not working on projects that take a lot of mental strain. So if you want to work on some programming, modeling, etc make sure it's something where you don't have to think a lot or your mind will still be very active when you try to sleep. Better yet only do something relaxing to wind down before going to sleep. Let the brain rest so it will minimize tossing and turning trying to sleep.

Just as professional athletes seek coaching, it's essential for game developers and esports players to seek help when sleep eludes them. Professional advice from sleep therapists or nutritionists can provide personalized strategies that align with one’s individual needs, reflecting the precision and customized approach taken in professional gaming.

Or pump some iron. Go for a run. Exercise: physical activity is the best medicine for cleaning your head. Even less than an hour works. Then repeat almost everyday.

Muito importante ter orienta??o e acompanhante de profissionais dessas áreas. Cada pessoa é única e o que é bom para um pode prejudicar outro. O profissional tem conhecimento para as devidas orienta??es.

One of the best ways to maintain a healthy schedule in game development is by not wasting time on LinkedIn's AI-written collaborative article nonsense.

Being able to create a transition ritual to mark the end of my work day has helped me be able to leave my work at my home office door while working remotely. The idea is to have some sort of activity that helps you move from work mode towards relaxing mode. Prior to remote work, I used my commute to help me leave work behind. These days, my transition is a long walk around the block with the dogs. Pro-tip: Have a few transition rituals you can alternate. That way, you have options if the weather is not on your side or you feel like mixing it up.

Stick to a schedule, prioritize quality sleep, create a sleep-conducive environment, stay active, limit screens before bed, and manage stress. Communicate with your team, take breaks, and plan downtime for a healthier work-life balance.

Don't get upset when something disrupts your schedule. Don't find excuses to skip, find reasons to get back to it. Remember how well you've felt when you maintained it. Results take time to show, minimum of four weeks is necessary to feel them.

I've found it extremely helpful to have some form of entertainment handy the moment i walk out of the door at the end of my work day, this immediately pulls me out of work mode and into a more relaxed state of mind. I like audiobooks, podcasts, or music for this purpose, because I can listen while I walk home. Having an accessible and intentional way to break out of work mode does wonders for being able to sleep without having excess work thoughts in the back of my mind before bed (which is one of the biggest threats to me having a good night sleep).