CAMH’s wellness guide to the playoffs

By Sean O’Malley
CAMH Public Affairs

The daily routines of millions of Canadians are about to become disrupted in a major way this week with the beginning of the NHL and NBA playoffs.

If you’re lucky and your favourite team goes all the way to the finals, you will not be back to your regular habits until sometime in late June.

So we thought this would be a good opportunity to tap the expertise of some of our CAMH clinicians about how to experience the playoffs in a mentally healthy and balanced way.

ALCOHOL

A survey done by a sports website a few years ago confirmed what every sports fan already knows: if you drink, you will drink more during the playoffs.

“Think about your alcohol consumption in advance and have a plan for moderation,” says Dr. Peter Selby, Addiction Medicine Physician and Clinician “If you treat every single game like it’s the Super Bowl, you might find yourself drinking a lot more than you usually do, especially if you are watching the game with friends every other night for two months. Make a conscious effort to pace yourself, including game nights where you abstain.” Also mixing alcohol and cannabis is not recommended and neither is driving a vehicle after drinking or using cannabis.

Dr. Selby adds that it is also a good idea to be mindful of friends who love your team as much as you do but don’t drink.

“Make an effort to make your non-drinking sports fan friends feel included in social evenings.  If you are hosting, make sure you have a variety of non-alcoholic options on offer,” says Dr. Selby.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have partnered with CAMH the past seven years for the Hockey Talks mental health awareness night. Pictured above is Quinn Kirby, Manager of the Gifts of Light program, being interviewed during the Leafs game on January 23, 2019.

NUTRITION

As with alcohol, sports and food go together.  Ordering pizza and nachos and other processed and fatty foods is almost always a big part of the big game experience. But again, if you are doing that every other night for weeks, occasional treats become everyday foods and that is not good for your health.

 “Use game days as opportunities to show off your inner Gordon Ramsay,” says CAMH Dietician Kelly Matheson. “Try items like home-made personal pizzas, veggies with a spicy dip or baked chicken wings.”

SLEEP/EXERCISE

Watching a sporting event for three hours every other night takes an awful lot of time away from your usual routines.  You will probably stay up later than you normally do for every game that is on a weeknight and you may cut back on your exercise habits, especially if you tend to exercise after work and you decide you don’t have enough time to do so on game nights.

“Try to avoid caffeinated beverages or energy drinks when watching games in the evening as they will make the amount of sleep you do get of poorer quality,” says Wellness Coordinator Jessica Preiss.  “Alcohol too will have a negative effect.  And being chronically sleep-deprived and/or are getting less restful sleep can create a viscous cycle where you feel too tired to exercise.”

MENTAL HEALTH CHECK-INS

The playoffs can also be an excellent opportunity to proactively reach out to friends or loved ones who you may be worrying about to see if they are ok.  It can even be an opportunity to try and reconnect after an estrangement or a falling out with someone you care about.

“Something as simple as texting or phoning someone to say ‘Wow did you see the game?’ can be a way to break the ice with people you have become distant from for whatever reason,” says Psychologist Dr. Donna Ferguson. “Part of what makes being a sports fan fun is that it is a communal experience. If you make an effort to let people you know are going through a difficult time that you are thinking of them, those small gestures of affection can make a huge difference.”