Whether playing in a packed and noisy bingo hall or from the comfort of your home via online bingo sites, bingo is a game filled with emotional ups and downs. Though exciting, this can take its toll on the player both mentally and physically which will diminish the enjoyment of the game over time. Additionally, depending on the circumstances this can reduce your winnings if, for example, you are playing bricks and mortar bingo in a hall and your concentration flags…

There are techniques however to keep your stress level down and as such your head in the game. Equally these considerations and techniques can be applied to multiple environments outside of bingo (such as the office) that can increase both your physical and mental stamina, allowing you to get through the daily grind with a little bit of grace.

Enough Sleep

The first requirement for staving off burnout is getting enough sleep. For a lot of people it is difficult to switch off at the end of the day, often to the extent that we sometimes had difficulty nodding off at an appropriate time. Consequently we are groggy in the morning and everything seems to drag.

One of the first things to keep in mind is limiting caffeine intake after noon. This can keep people up at night, cutting into their sleep time making them feel like they need more caffeine throughout the day (it’s a vicious cycle). Another piece of advice often heard is that bedrooms should be kept (nearly) strictly for sleeping. If you do this you can almost train yourself to feel drowsy when getting into bed. Basically take the TV out of the bedroom.

Healthy Diet and Proper Hydration

One of the problems of bingo halls is that the food served (if they do serve food) is almost exclusively junk food like French fries, nachos, etc.; and if you are playing online bingo you will have a hard time trying to prepare yourself something nice if you get into the swing of it. So besides the benefits of being tanked up on some complex carbohydrates and low-fat protein, and therefore giving you the energy to keep on through long gaming sessions, you might even lose some weight which also helps. Also, don’t underestimate a tall drink of water a few times throughout the day. It’s thought that most people are chronically dehydrated and that we’ve lost the distinction between thirst and hunger (fun fact: did you know that dolphins get all their water from the fish they eat? Well, you aren’t a dolphin so drink up).

Maintain Good Posture and Take Time to Remember to Breath.

Good posture helps reduce back pain, increases blood flow and facilitates good breathing. If you are a regular online bingo player then it might be a good idea to invest in a proper chair with good back support that can be adjusted to suit the sitter’s unique body requirements. If you are a regular at the bingo hall then consider bringing a cushion or two with you for additional support. Also, just trying to remember to keep you back straight can improve your posture over time.

Good posture is also an integral component to therapeutic breathing techniques. For example, if you begin feeling overwhelmed take a slow, deep breath, hold it for as long as feel comfortable and release it slowly. Of course, don’t breath like this constantly; but a few times on the hour can reduce the autonomic stress response allowing you to play comfortably for longer.