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DENVER -- Video gamers who play at night often get less sleep than they need because they delay their bedtimes to keep playing, researchers reported here.

In a survey of close to 1,000 regular gamers who were age 13 and older (mean 28.7 years), two-thirds said they frequently lost sleep because they were playing video games. Gaming with other players and having more than one gaming console were associated with greater bedtime delays.

"Our data show that video gaming is quite an important factor that frequently leads to missed sleep for 67% of gamers," said researcher , of the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth, at the meeting.

The findings also adds to the evidence that gaming may be an addictive behavior, the researchers suggested.

, of Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, N.Y., who was not involved with the research, agreed that the behaviors reported by some of study participants suggested addictive behavior.

"There is a big debate in the field right now about whether video games are addictive," she said. "It is not included in the diagnostic manual of mental disorders, DSM-5, as an addictive disorder, but we are seeing that people are putting basic life needs off in order to play video games."

Other data suggest that almost three out of four Americans play video games, and nine out of 10 do not sleep as much as recommended.

Roane and colleagues hypothesized that video gaming may be among the many modern influences that are keeping people from getting as much sleep as experts recommend, and that gaming frequency and duration would predict bedtime delay.

All participants reported playing video games at least once during the previous week. They completed an online survey examining the extent gaming habits affected bedtime delay frequency and duration. They were asked questions about demographics, gaming consoles, game genres, and gaming frequency, duration, and timing (weekday/weekend).

Gamers who reported delaying their bedtime one night or more in the previous week (delayers) answered questions regarding game mode they preferred, social interactions, next day tardiness, and gaming-related bedtime delay reasons.

In February 2015, 963 gamers completed the surveys; 15% were female and 58% were white.

During the previous week, they reported gaming 4.6±2 nights on weekdays (192±158 minutes) and weekends (303±183 minutes). Delayed bedtimes were reported by 67%, on 1.7±2 nights for 102±70 minutes.

Roughly 10% of bedtime delayers were late at least once the next day to school or work, and nearly 20% said they were late to other activities (18.5%). No significant differences in demographics were found in bedtime delayers versus nondelayers.

ANCOVA analyses with age, relationship status, and living situation showed delayers gamed more frequently (4.9 versus 4 nights) and for longer duration (weekdays 208 versus 159 minutes; weekends 329 versus 249 minutes).

Playing more genres predicted greater bedtime delay frequency and duration, while more consoles predicted greater bedtime delay duration. Percentage of nights playing co-op and multi-player and in-game and cellphone socializing predicted longer bedtime delay duration.

Regression analyses showed addiction-type delay reasons and no save-point predicted bedtime delay frequency while only no save-point predicted duration.

"The survey findings showed that people who delayed their bedtimes because they were playing video games were also more often late to school or work," Harris said. "This is not much of a surprise, but it is relevant because so many people are now gaming."

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