Effects of Sleep on Competitive Esports Performance - Case EXEN Esports

Abstract

This thesis was conducted to examine the effects of sleep on player performance in competitive esports. The research aimed to gather qualitative data on esports athletes’ sleep and its effects and provide answers on whether the amount of sleep influences competitive esports performance. The research was conducted with a case study on a Finnish esports organization EXEN Esports’ CS:GO players. A three-week monitoring phase was conducted where the players’ sleep was analyzed and examined, and whether it had an effect on the players’ performance in competitive esports. EXEN Esports had an ongoing regular competitive season while the research was conducted. The results showed that personality and uniqueness in a person’s sleep affected player performance the most. The most positive effects were found when the players were able to sleep according to their past sleeping habits. Short-time disruptions in a player’s circadian rhythm caused the most negative impacts. The scientifically approved sleep recommendations are a reasonable basis to start monitoring performance related to sleep. As sleep is an ambiguous event, it is challenging to change one’s sleep without considering relevant additional factors other than the numerical amount of sleep. Longer monitoring periods with constant circadian rhythms and the least number of disruptions may yield more sufficient data