According to the World Health Organization, one in every eight people around the world lives with a mental disorder, anxiety and depressive illnesses being the most common. Thus, this issue has become a significant point of discussion nowadays, with several influencers stepping up to be mental health advocates.
Should you find yourself on the verge of struggling with and yielding to a mental health issue, you might want to consider investing time in entertainment. You can watch movies and theater plays, listen to music, or play games, such as online poker, perhaps. If online poker fancies you, there are several sites where you can get started, such as PPPoker clubs.
Experts weigh in. Can playing online poker really help safeguard you from mental illnesses? Let’s break down the facts.
Online Poker Can Keep Your Mind Active
Online poker is based on one of the most popular and widely played card games anywhere in the world. Mastering the game well requires the best skills, strategic thinking, dedication, and lots of practice. A single match can significantly work your mind out, necessitating a more intense focus and concentration for extended periods. Furthermore, Internet poker is also a numbers game, so people who play it often say their math skills have improved.
“Gambling enables you to pick up skills while playing. You learn to be more observant, mentally task your brain, and study patterns and numbers. It is suitable for your mental health to keep your brain engaged with the activity actively,” wrote Claus Christensen on Health Tech Zone.
Abstract and creative thinking are other skills required when attempting to figure out what hands your opponents have. For instance, you must know how to read body language and factor that information into your decision-making. The more you play poker, the better you become. The more you play poker, the more you exercise your brain.
It Allows You To Gain Better Control Of Your Emotions
As has been established, a round of online poker can be intense. Thus, it can play with your emotions, too. You experience a roller coaster of emotions during the game – happiness, anxiety, anger, and elation again. That said, playing the game occasionally can train you to get a good grip on these emotions and not allow them to influence your decision-making. “Poker face”? You got it.
Managing these waves of emotion well during an online poker game is a great brain exercise. Those who have mastered this skill become more intimidating and dominant players who win very often. Nobody can predict their moves.
“One of the ways to maintain and improve your emotional state is to engage in various types of entertainment, among which games occupy a special place,” The Bingham’s website reported.
It Solidifies Your Working Memory
Each round of poker typically lasts up to around 20 minutes. That means there’s much information to process, so a keen memory is essential. To be a good poker player, you must pay a lot of attention and be able to remember literally everything that happens at the poker table. These information will be helpful to you from start to finish.
Also, recognizing how your opponents react to your moves or weigh your hand against the others on the table is cognitively demanding and taxing for your brain. These scenarios give your memory a massive workout, and there’s no other way but to become better at it.
“Online gambling establishments not only provide a thrilling time but also provide mental stimulation and improve agility,” experts told The Smithfield Times.
It Improves Your Sleep
The National Council on Aging said about 30 percent of adults show symptoms of insomnia, with 10 percent of those diagnosed with this sleep disorder saying it has already impacted their daily activities. Playing online poker might help.
Because a round of online poker can be so taxing, it is no surprise that you may feel a bit drained and tired after a game. From reading the reactions of your opponents to controlling various emotions while keeping a poker face, you really get a complete workout for your mind. So you get to fall asleep much easier and faster.
Dr. Michael Manos, a pediatric behavioral health specialist at the Cleveland Clinic, said playing
online games can positively impact a person’s sleep when correctly approached. Since these games enhance a person’s cognitive flexibility, they can contribute to better sleep patterns by limiting stress and improving relaxation before your bedtime.
It Combats Alzheimer’s Disease And Dementia
This is probably the most remarkable ability of poker when it comes to combatting cognitive disorders. The game may reduce the effects of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
Dr. Jeffrey Cummings, Chambers-Grundy Center for Transformative Neuroscience director at the University of Nevada, did a study that revealed how playing the game can reduce the chances of developing the dreaded Alzheimer’s disease by as much as 50 percent.
Older people playing card games like poker can also encourage better mental function and engagement, thus helping prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s. Of course, they will also get to socialize, albeit virtually, which can help combat the effects of aging and neurodegeneration.
Most of what you read about online casino games like poker say they negatively impact mental health, as they harbor addiction and all related things. For instance, if you lose much money, you may feel stressed, depressed, and less confident. That is partly true, which is why many institutions advocate for responsible gambling. But, on the other side of these, there are facts that argue how playing games like online poker can bring positive changes to a person’s mental health, from keeping the mind active to helping a person sleep better.
People play poker for various reasons. Some play simply to develop their skills, some play it for leisure and pastime, and some play it to win real money. What most of you don’t realize is that while you are playing poker, either for the sake of fun or to improve your game, you are also exercising your mind.
