Too excited during live games?

Nice input, and I agree! I've had a few intents OTB games where both I and my opponent got low on time and things got a little hectic.

Crazy to think this post is nearing its 10 year anniversary. As the guy that posted it a decade a go, I can confirm that it does indeed go away pretty quickly if you keep playing. Or rather, that the tension helps you focus rather than distracts you.

Hope you're right about it going away pretty quickly if you keep playing but I've got to think that's based on the individual player.  I'm 78 and take BP meds,  started playing here around the first of this year playing live games.  I'm probably not going to get out of the 800s and as long as I don't lose too many by blunders or just get beat by someone obviously better than me I think I handle it ok.  If I lose a few in a row I think I should have or could have won I get pretty pod at myself.

My wife happened to come in right after that kind of loss late one afternoon and said,  "your face is really red check your blood pressure,  are you sure you enjoy this".  I tried to laugh it off but decided to check my blood pressure.  That morning it had been 123 over 74,  heart rate 67.  Immediately after that game it was 188 over 89 heart rate 89.  An hour or so later after a few soothing beers it was back to the morning level.  

It's the fight or flight syndrome. It releases adrenaline and cortisol into your system. This generally gets in the way of clear thinking as humans have evolved to get out of 'danger' situations as quickly as possible. You can literally see opponents making blunders in a 3 or 4 hour OTB chess match, that they wouldn't do if given the position with a calm mind.

In a physical sport you can 'burn' some of this arousal off. In a sedentary game, like chess, it will raise your blood pressure considerably, and the hormones will encourage cholesterol to deposit in your arteries. This is not good for health. In chess, this fight/flight arousal can last for hours - in nature it was designed to be fleeting - this can have serious repurcussions to your health over time. All people will have some degree of elevated response during a chess match but if you are someone who naturally responds with severe fight/flight response, you should consider giving up the game. Of course, you can try breathing techniques etc and over time with increased game playing, your automatic response will improve o some degree. But, I feel that you will still be releasing too much adrenaline/ cortisol and your BP will still be elevated for prolonged periods. These are very bad for you. So if you do continue, please regularly check your blood pressure and cholesterol. Best wishes.

smsmith99, Thanks for your comments/insights on this which I believe are accurate. I hadn't thought of comparing the difference of a sedentary chess game to a physical sport or activity. In both your trying to win and if your competitive there's a degree of anxiety but once the game starts you can actively burn this off through activity.

This takes me back a long way but I recall right before the kick off in high school football games a feeling of anxiety. Once the game started and contact was made with a block or tackle it's gone and you just get on with it as opposed to chess where tension slowly mounts and when it's over, win or lose, you're still just sitting there.

It's too good a game for me to quit and at my age. 81 I need the mental activity so I've continued to play by playing bots. The absence of a time limit seems to make a big difference.

Exposure to the "stressful" environment more frequently can help desensitize you. The more games you play, the less unusual and intimidating they feel, reducing your physiological response.

I have. When I'm playing OTB against a chess Olympian I get super nervous, light headed, butterflies in my stomach, etc. I just kept playing him till I don't have that problem anymore. I can almost beat him now.