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Nintendo
Wii: Play Your Way To Better Sleep
Often, the best type of exercise is exercise that does not
seem like exercise. This is because you are more likely to
do the activity, and for longer periods of time, if you find
it fun.
Which exercises are considered fun depends on each person's
personal preferences. However, based on my experience, the Nintendo
Wii (pronounced “we”) offers physical activity that
most people of all ages find to be enjoyable, including seniors.
What is the Wii?
The Nintendo Wii is a video game console. The Wii, however,
is not really intended for traditional video gamers. In fact,
most serious video gamers shun the Wii for many reason, especially
for its relatively crude graphics.
Instead, the Wii appeals to those, video game fans or not,
who are simply looking for terrific fun. The Wii is so much
fun, in large part, because it physically involves you in
the games.
A distinguishing feature of the console is its wireless controller,
the Wii Remote. It can be used as a handheld pointing device
and detects acceleration and orientation in three dimensions.
This means that as you move the controller through the air,
the animated player on the TV screen mimics your motions exactly.
For example, to play the tennis game, you swing your arm as
if you were really swinging a tennis racket. This causes your
animated player to swing his or her racket just as you swung
yours. In other words, the game immerses you in the action,
and you can't help but feel part of it.
Nintendo Wii: Cure for Insomnia?
The exercise the Nintendo Wii provides can, like any exercise,
help you to get a better night's sleep. The physical activity
it provides stimulates and stresses both your body and mind
(in a good way), and your body and mind will compensate for
this by sleeping better.
Some people insist that the Wii does not provide real exercise.
From what I have seen and experienced, the exercise is real.
You often find yourself lunging, jumping, following through,
etc. No, it's probably not as beneficial aerobically as walking,
jogging, jumping rope, dancing, bicycling, etc. But what it
provides is surely better than nothing. And nothing is what
many people who have trouble sleeping generally do in terms
of exercise because they often consider exercise to be drudgery.
The Nintendo Wii is surely the exact opposite of drudgery.
When to Play Nintendo
Wii for Best Sleep Benefits
To best fight insomnia, actively playing the Wii should take
place in the late afternoon or early evening. However, if
you only have time to play earlier than this in the day, then
that's fine. You probably should not play intensely at least
three hours before bed because your body needs time to return
to a more calm state.
To sleep well, you need to stimulate your body and mind on
a daily or near daily basis. The Nintendo Wii can provide
decent exercise to help you do this.
Best of all, you won't ever suspect it's exercise.
External resources
Wall
St. Journal article
New
York Times Article
Suite101
article
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