Neurology Research & Reviews
Esports and Wellness: Building a Sustainable Model for Performance and Health
Authors: Kevin M.A. Wilson, Shanika Lavi Wilson
Abstract
Esports has grown into a global industry with paid athletes, coaches, and training camps. That growth brings new health risks. Players sit for long hours, stare at screens, and compete under public view every night. This paper builds a wellness model for esports that covers the body, the mind, and the organization around the player. The model draws on esports medicine, sleep science, adolescent mental health research, and lessons from traditional sport during the COVID-19 pandemic. The model treats sleep, nutrition, movement, and mental health support as core training variables, not optional extras. One point stands above the rest. Programs that skip wellness will burn out their players and shorten their careers. This paper closes with concrete steps for organizations, universities, and clinicians who want to build wellness into esports before the industry outgrows its own health infrastructure.
Citation: Kevin M.A. Wilson, Shanika Lavi Wilson. Esports and Wellness: Building a Sustainable Model for Performance and Health. Neurology Research & Reviews. 2026; Volume 1 (Issue 1).