If you’re spending hours every day honing your skills and grinding it out in your favorite game, you’re no doubt committed to excellence.
But doing so can put wear on your mind and body, making you less effective at the very thing you’re trying to master.
Some pro gamers look to boost performance with prescription meds, but did you know there are a handful of things you can do to push your cognitive performance to the next level without hardcore drugs?
Here are some ideas. Give them a go for a week or two and see how much your game performance improves.
You won’t be disappointed.
CBD Oil For All-Around Gaming Performance
Hemp-based extracts are being used by athletes to support intense workouts and performance.
And they can do the same for e-sports fanatics.
High-potency CBD can help with several things, not the least of which is cognitive performance enhancement. It works by stimulating neurotransmitters and other neurochemicals in the central nervous system responsible for focus and concentration. It’s one reason that people with ADHD take CBD – because it helps you to zone in.
Moreover, it helps to reduce stress and anxiety, something many of us may experience when we’re going hardcore in-game. How many times have you wanted to throw your controller or mouse at the screen? It’s a regularly occurring event when gaming. CBD will help to calm your nerves, preventing you from going on tilt and losing the edge.
CBD works for most people and the only way you’ll know if it can help boost your gameplay is to give it try. You can do that with free CBD samples from Cannabiva.com to see how they work for you.
Ginseng For Faster Reaction Times
We’re going to drop a couple more plant-based solutions on you because, unlike prescription meds, these aren’t going to have any withdrawal effects or negative side effects.
Some people like coffee to get their brains going. And don’t get us wrong, coffee works wonders for gamers. But consider trying some Ginseng. It speeds up central nervous system activity and maximizes what scientists call cerebral-electrical impulses in the brain. We’re talking faster reaction times. When milliseconds count, ginseng is a go-to.
Bacopa For Maximizing Brain Speed
You’ve probably never heard of Bacopa Monnieri. If you do a bit of research, you’ll realize you’ve been missing out if this isn’t part of your gaming regimen.
Bacopa is a power herb that enhances impulse transmission in the nerves, which means faster hand-eye coordination and reactivity.
It boosts neurotransmitter modulation for what could be described as better brain speed.
You can take Bacopa and Ginseng in the form of a tea, pill or a combination herbal supplement for concentration and focus.
Meditate. Seriously!
You probably around sit around in off-game times thinking about what you could have done better and visualizing your gameplay.
What you’re doing is meditating. But randomly doing it throughout the day isn’t as effective as finding a few minutes pre- or post-game to do some mental walk-throughs.
Columbia University highlights that meditation can help with a number of things that are beneficial to gamers:
- It improves focus and concentration
- Boost memory retention (so you can replay those sweet moves and strategies effectively over and over!)
- Reduces anxiety and stress (especially for us hardcore gamers)
- And promotes better sleep (because if your brain is tired, your gameplay will be sub-optimal)
Diet Shouldn’t Be Just Doritos and Soda
Look, it’s critical that we satiate our brains with foods we love. Eating chips and onion rings with a Dr. Pepper during gameplay is one of the best activities in the world.
But it’s horrible for our gut health and brain health, and subsequently will negatively impact our in-game performance.
Keep the yummy snacks if you wish, but add some solid foods to your diet to boost neuroactivity and energy.
You are, after all, an athlete, albeit one who uses a keyboard or mouse to refine their craft.
You’ll need quality proteins from food snacks like Walnuts, pecans, and almonds.
You’ll also need a solid dose of carbs before gametime every day, but focus your efforts on healthy carbohydrates, not the ones loaded with simple sugars. Instead of heavy processed sugary foods, consider fruits, chia and flax seeds, milk, and yogurt.
And, of course, throw in a dose of veggies like carrot sticks and a leafy salad.
We know these aren’t normally the go-to foods for gamers, and we’re not telling you to completely eliminate your favorite gaming snacks. We’re just saying that adding these additional foods to your diet can do nothing but help your performance by boosting brain activity and physical staying power.
Here’s a Simple Approach
It’s tough to stay regimented on mental and physical requirements when you’re in-game for hours at a time.
But here is something you can do to combine everything into a superpower pre-game boost.
Make a homemade smoothie infused with all the good stuff.
Simple recipe:
- Add some blueberries (they’re a brain superfood)
- Yogurt (it’ll help your stomach process all the other horrible food you eat while gaming)
- Raw honey (it’s a superfood unlike any other – trust us on this – and it tastes great)
- CBD oil (if you dislike the taste, skip this part and try encapsulated full spectrum or broad spectrum CBD soft gels instead)
- Ginseng
- Bacopa
- Blend it, drink it
This lets you knock out all your central nervous system needs in one fell swoop.
Get Physical
It’s easy to sit down for hours at a time and play your favorite game.
What’s not easy is taking a break or doing a pre-workout before your gaming session.
But getting physical even with some basic exercises is essential to improved gaming performance, as well as long-term physical health.
Do some basic Yoga poses. This stretches muscles and adds some physical activity. Moreover, for those of us using repeated gestures with our hands on keyboards, mice, or console controllers, painful long-term effects like carpel tunnel are a real possibility. Stretching, especially around the fingers, hands, and wrists is critical to maintaining the physical well-being of the most essential gaming tools you have. Try Yoga poses like updog, downdog, planks, and dolphin planks. This will ensure the longevity of arm components for aging gamers. (And yes, you’ll get older one day, and trust us, you’ll wish you had started these exercises sooner!)
It also wouldn’t hurt to take a jog or walk around the block. Sitting in the same place for hours is simply not healthy. Get your blood flowing with a simple 30-minute walk. Better cardiovascular health means you’ll not only live longer but you’ll have more oxygen flow to the brain and body for better gaming performance.
Putting It Together
Augmenting your existing gaming sessions isn’t as difficult as it sounds.
You can play at your best, or even better than before, by taking a few extra steps each day that include adding healthier foods to your diet, supplementing with CBD oil and other brain-boosting plant medicines, meditating, and getting a bit more physically active.
The benefits far outweigh the minor inconvenience of developing modifications to your existing routine.
