Sleeping properly after a game?

[John Upham]

This might be a problem that only affects myself in which case I apologise for wasting bandwith....

When I play an evening league game, regardless of result (unless its a short draw) I struggle to sleep properly that night.

When I played in the 1970s I found it to be a terrible problem and would quite often get no sleep at all but it only affected myself then. If I lost then I felt even worse and this feeling could last for a couple of days. I would spend the entire night analysing the game in my head.

Now, I make sure I run the game through an engine before I try to sleep and that does help to some extent.

However, I'm not sure if it is build of Seratonin (or what it is) but I simply lay awake thinking about the game which is not popular and also I am wrecked for the next day.

This may seem pathetic but it really puts me off attempting to play in a weekend tournament.

I would appreciate any useful advice.

Any tips for getting the game out of my mind? Smutty suggestions have probably been tried!

[Gavin Strachan]

quit chess.

take sleeping tablets.

quit chess and take sleeping tablets.

It is because your mind is working over time

[Jon D'Souza-Eva]

When I play an evening league game, regardless of result (unless its a short draw) I struggle to sleep properly that night.

That's strange, I actually keep a magnetic chess set and the score of one of your games which I play through if I'm suffering from insomnia.

[John Upham]

That's strange, I actually keep a magnetic chess set and the score of one of your games which I play through if I'm suffering from insomnia.

Did you mean this one? http://www.youtube.com/user/DraganLalic ... _UJSF9B4W0

I am sure Black had a few knightmares!

[Matthew Turner]

John,
I suggest this is an interesting topic for research. With many questions of this nature I think we should look at what happens in other sports. Other Sportspeople have, often quite complex, warm down routines, so presumably it would be logical for chess players to do them too. Exactly what this would entail I'm not sure, but I do think it is a very good idea to establish a routine that works for you.

[Thomas Rendle]

I think a chessplayer's warm-down routine largely consists of a trip to the bar!

If you play a game in the evening (assuming you care about the result) then it's only natural to have trouble sleeping immediately afterwards. The problem can be exacerbated if the game was particularly tense or if a time-scramble was involved (very common in league chess). A social drink to relax afterwards can help but if you feel that you missed a big opportunity in the game then sleeping afterwards may not be easy. It's up to you whether this is an acceptable trade-off.

[John Upham]

John,
I suggest this is an interesting topic for research. With many questions of this nature I think we should look at what happens in other sports. Other Sportspeople have, often quite complex, warm down routines, so presumably it would be logical for chess players to do them too. Exactly what this would entail I'm not sure, but I do think it is a very good idea to establish a routine that works for you.

I appreciate your comments : drinking plenty of water helps to some extent but then I am forced to spend less time at the board. I find that my head is buzzing and on some occasions genuine pain is felt in the frontal lobes area. I do not like the idea of sleeping tablets one bit.

For some people this might be hilarious but I would sincerely like to deal with it. Maybe there is no solution apart from not playing?

The obvious advice is : You need to relax more at the board. OK, good advice but how?

[Alexander Hardwick]

I often have the same problem: I'm still stuck thinking about the game, so I can't get to sleep. However, I have noticed that it is usually easier for me to sleep when I have lost the game: perhaps I'm trying to forget my disappointment? By contrast, after a win I have trouble getting rid of all the excitement and energy.

A bit off topic, but for me the problem is even worse the night before I play in an evening league game, weekend tournament, one-day rapid congress etc. Excitement again?

[Christopher Kreuzer]

I sometimes have problems forgetting about a game just after I've played it, but I find playing over the game, either with my opponent, or with a computer program, helps a lot, especially if you find lots of other lines that crowd out the ones you had been thinking about over the board. The thing with sleep that I find to be a problem is when I'm convinced that there is a solution to a chess problem or puzzle I'm working on (sometimes unrelated to a game). This applies to games where I'm not sure what happened, or there was a line I wasn't sure about. Nagging unresolved issues. Sometimes, though, going through the game with a computer means I find lines where I or my opponent should have won, and that can lead to a restless night thinking about what could have happened! The key, as others have said, is to establish a regular pre-sleep routine that doesn't involve high-level brain activity or making you more alert, and to stick to that. If that doesn't work, you may need to get further advice.

[Alex Holowczak]

I think the key is to remember that you're playing a game. You shouldn't have sleep troubles from a game. You wouldn't lose sleep over a game of Minesweeper...

The problem I have is the morning of the event. I usually have to be up very early to make transport connections. I'm not a very deep sleeper, and for some reason, my alarm isn't very realiable anymore (it chooses not to go off at the right time seemingly on random occasions). So if I have to be up at 0630 the next day, and I flutter out of sleep for a few seconds, I'll quick as a flash look at the clock. I then realise it's still 0345, and I should probably go back to sleep... All this has the problem of making me feel tired the next day. The really awkward one though is when you wake up at 0530. You're tired, because you've had less sleep, but do you risk going back to sleep, hoping to get the hour you need and wake up properly, or do you get up and be satisfied with what you've got? It's a question I can never properly answer... (particularly at 0530 in the morning)

[Justin Hadi]

The obvious advice is : You need to relax more at the board. OK, good advice but how?

Remember it's only a game? Don't take it so seriously? This seems trivially simple especially when you want to get better results. I actually found my results improved when taking chess less seriously.

Having just seen Alex's post while I was writing this, I generally agree.

[Ian Thompson]

Try some of the remedies given here. This was on the TV a few weeks ago, repeated from a few years ago I think. Some might be applicable. Unfortunately, a couple of beers after the game is not recommended .

[Phil Neatherway]

John,

I agree that this is a big problem. The only solution I have found is to give up evening chess. I don't seem to have a problem if the game ends at 6 or 7pm, like e.g. the 4NCL.

I also think it's much worse if I've played badly!

[Michael Jones]

No, it's not just you; I've often had the same problem. I think (in my case at least) it's less because I'm taking it too seriously - it tends to happen regardless of the result of the game - just the fact that I've been thinking quite hard for 2-3 hours makes it difficult to switch off; I get the same thing if I've spent most of the evening studying, or simply if I've got a lot on my mind. It tends to happen less after 4NCL games, probably because although the game is longer, so's the return journey - if I've had a home club match I'll be back within half an hour of finishing, in the 4NCL it's likely to be 2-3 hours so I have more time to unwind. I make a point of not putting games into Fritz as soon as I get back just because it'll keep my brain ticking over when I'd rather it didn't.

Curiously, although if I'm working the next day the detrimental effect of a poor night's sleep is usually obvious there, chess ability appears to be the last thing to surrender to tiredness; on one occasion I only managed about three hours' sleep the night before a tournament, and ended up winning it.

[Stewart Reuben]

Some years ago bits of my teeth were falling off. I consulted my dentist and he asked whether I was a schoolteacher. He said it is something called 'BRUX' and is a common problem among teachers. They are unaware that they are grounding their teeth in their sleep.
So I consulted some yoga books and decided it was not for me. But John Upham should look into that. Instead, after playing poker, I would play some chess games on ICC, there neither my ego nor money was involved. The problem vanished and has never returned, although I no longer play online. For me, the trick has been to do something relaxing before going to sleep. By the way, I get very tense during a serious chess game, although I never, ever play for appreciable sums of money (relative to poker).

I am sure many competitive games players suffer from this problem and it is very important. Drugs, whether prescribed or recreational (including alcohol) are certainly not the solution. Sex is surely one of the best.

Stewart Reuben