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A huge alien, Grobnitz, looms up out of nowhere. He is loaded with Destroyer Bullets and Annihilation Bombs and has raised the Shield of Invicibility around him.

You fire off a flurry of Mech Battle ordnance and an All Hope Is Lost Bomb that don't affect Grobnitz at all. You launch a swarm of Do Great Harm Insectoids that Grobnitz merely shakes off.

You need every shred of alertness for this virtual showdown, but incredibly, your reflexes are slow because of fatigue.

What is a gamer to do??

Some gamers swear by caffeine. But many websites are saying you need to get the right amount of caffeine.

Too little, and it will not invigorate you, and you may end up with slowed reflexes and a propensity to nod off just when you need to be most awake.

Too much caffeine, and you could get anxiety, or a racing heart, or a sour stomach.

What is the right amount of caffeine?

Of course, the amount depends on your size. If you weigh 300 pounds, you will need more caffeine than a person who weighs 150 pounds.The average American man weighs about 198 pounds, and the average woman weighs about 170 pounds [1].

For the average person, Mayo Clinic says [2]:

Up to 400 milligrams (mg) of caffeine a day appears to be safe for most healthy adults. That's roughly the amount of caffeine in four cups of brewed coffee, 10 cans of cola or two "energy shot" drinks. Keep in mind that the actual caffeine content in beverages varies widely, especially among energy drinks.

Mayo says some of the unpleasant side effects of taking too much caffeine or coffee include:

• Headaches
• Insomnia or sleep loss
• Nervousness
• Irritability
• Frequent urination or inability to control urination
• Fast heartbeat
• Muscle tremors

But if you hit that sweet spot of just the right amount, you may have quickened reflexes for gaming and you might stay fresh and in the game longer.

Benefits of caffeine for gamers

 The site Gscience.io has an article titled Caffeine: A good way for gamers to improve their performance [3]. The article says the benefits of caffeine during gaming include:

• Improved reaction time
• Vigilance
• Attention 
• Alertness 
• Judgment 
• Reduced perception of effort

How to remain alert: sleep, diet, exercise

‍But there are other things you can do to prevent yourself from becoming drowsy during gaming or at any time.

As we reported in another blog [4], the site Healthline.com has an article [5] giving 17 tips on how to stay awake. The tips (for life in- or outside gaming) include:

• Take breaks to do activities.
• Keep snacks on hand.
• Complete simpler work tasks first, then move on to more complex stuff. It's like a warm-up.
• Scented candles or scent diffusers can help perk you up.
• Engage in good sleep habits or sleep hygiene, which we wrote about in the blog titled, Sleeping longer can make you feel more tired. Some of the sleep hygiene tips, from the World Sleep Society [6], include:

1. Establish a regular bedtime and waking time.
2. If you are in the habit of taking siestas, do not exceed 45 minutes of daytime sleep.
3. Avoid excessive alcohol ingestion 4 hours before bedtime, and do not smoke.
4. Avoid caffeine 6 hours before bedtime. This includes coffee, tea and many sodas, as well as chocolate.
5. Avoid heavy, spicy, or sugary foods 4 hours before bedtime. A light snack before bed is acceptable.
6. Exercise regularly, but not right before bed.
7. Use comfortable, inviting bedding.
8. Find a comfortable sleep temperature setting and keep the room well ventilated.
9. Block out all distracting noise and eliminate as much light as possible.
10. Reserve your bed for sleep and sex, avoiding its use for work or general recreation.

 Eat a good, healthful diet

Also, make sure you have a good breakfast so you don’t shut down from lack of energy. Life Hack advises avoiding the sausage, greasy eggs and pancakes and instead opt for whole grain cereals and bread, fruit and yogurt.

Having a healthy snack of fruit or nuts at work can also boost energy. By avoiding candy, doughnuts and other sweets you also avoid the carbohydrate sugar crash, the phenomenon of your mood and energy collapsing after consuming sugars.

Another crazy game trailer!

 Be sure you drink plenty of water so you don’t get dehydrated, which can also cause drowsiness. Plus, if you need to go to the bathroom a lot it will get you up from your desk. This is a trick law students and other scholars who work into the night use.

An alternative to coffee and energy drinks

Viter Energy Mints [7] are consumed via the mouth.

That is how Viter Energy Mints [8], our product, deliver a burst of invigorating caffeine and B vitamins into the body quickly.

Another thing you may not have access to in the field is a toothbrush. Viter Energy Mints are made to freshen your breath as well as boost your energy.

Grobnitz goes down hard!

"We fight fist to fist!" Grobnitz roars.

Grobnitz lowers his shield for hand-to-hand combat. He is 10 feet tall to your 6 feet! You are no fool. You shoot a second barrage of Mech Battle Bullets at the helpless idiot, and just to be certain, a Shred Rocket.

Not wanting to be splattered in blood, you had raised your Life Force Field, and you watch as Grobnitz disintegrates into a pile of bloody gore!

Hah! you think. Fool!

(Writer's disclaimer: Obviously, I am no video game writer or even a gaming enthusiast!)

Sources:

[1] https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/20/health/us-average-height-weight-report/index.html

[2] https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/caffeine/art-20045678

[3] https://www.gscience.io/resources/caffeine-performance-gaming

[4] https://www.goviter.com/blogs/viter-energy-blog/how-stay-awake-at-work-without-coffee-caffeine

[5] https://www.healthline.com/health/how-to-stay-awake-at-work

[6] http://worldsleepday.org/10-commandments-of-sleep-hygiene-for-adults

[7] https://www.goviter.com/collections/viter-energy-mints

[8] https://amzn.to/3jb7Gwg