Did you know that 88% of American adults have lost sleep because they have binge-watched TV before bed? Binge-watching TV is an activity that so many of us have likely engaged in, but you might be surprised by how this impacts your sleep quality. It may seem obvious that it worsens your sleep, but what happens when you binge-watch your favorite show before bed?
In this article, we’ll explore the effects of binge-watching TV before bed, including what it does to your body and brain, and even the long-term impacts of this regularly. We’ll even explore some of the best strategies to overcome the effects of binge-watching to ensure that you get quality rest, even if it means postponing that episode until the next day. Let’s first examine what it does to your body and brain.
How Binge-Watching TV Before Bed Affects You Physiologically
If you have ever binge-watched a show or a movie series you love before sleep, you probably already know how it makes you feel. In most cases, you might feel more irritable, frustrated, or even worried, especially if you lose out on sleep.
In the long term, it can even influence a more sedentary lifestyle, one that makes you prone to chronic illness in the future (Source: PubMed). But if we look at the physiological effects of binge-watching on your circadian rhythm and body, it’s clear this is a harmful habit, especially if you do this every night.
The later you stay up, the less aligned you become with your circadian rhythm, which is essential to your nightly rest and overall energy levels. If your binge-watching habit is a routine, you might even experience sleep deprivation, which has the potential to disrupt your circadian rhythm. Your media consumption late into the night also affects your melatonin output, so you might find it harder to sleep after binge-watching TV.
The reason that this is the case is because of the blue light that these screens omit. Blue light is a wavelength that helps with alertness, but when you’re exposed to this right before bed, you may limit your sleep quality and sleep duration, so using blue light blockers is a must if you want to watch TV before bed (Source: PubMed). The more blue light you’re exposed to, the more likely you are to sleep less and feel more restless come morning.
You’ll notice if your binge-watching affects you because you’ll feel drowsier during the day and might even have an elevated heart rate. So, binge-watching TV before bed, without a doubt, impacts your body and brain. But how does this impact you psychologically? You might be surprised by how your regular nightly TV can affect you mentally and emotionally.
What are the Psychological Impacts of Late-Night Binge-Watching?
Aside from your body being affected and your quality of rest, late-night binge-watching can affect you mentally, too—and not always in beneficial ways. From emotional stimulation to stress to your dreams, what you binge-watch before you go to sleep can impact your mental state. For example, if you are watching a TV show or movie that you’re invested in emotionally, you are more likely to sleep poorly, and you might even find yourself unable to calm down at the end of your TV time (Source: PubMed).
That means if you watch horror or thrillers, you could find yourself mentally impacted before rest, leading to trouble falling asleep or tossing and turning all night long. However, you could also increase the degree of desensitization that you feel due to repeated exposure, which can also limit the impact of binge-watching on your sleep. When it comes to stress and anxiety, you can expect more anxiety if you binge-watch TV than if you don’t, but the type of media also matters. If you’re watching a show that you’ve seen a dozen times, you might not feel any anxiety, whereas the latest horror flick could set off your fight-or-flight response.
Because of the nature of our dreams, it’s unlikely that your binge-watching has a direct impact on what you dream about at night. However, you can expect some of your binge-watching to influence your dream. Researchers agree it’s too difficult still to tell to what extent, but regardless, it’s easy to see how psychologically affected we are by our binge-watching habits.
How Binge-Watching Affects Long-Term Sleep Quality and Health
Binge-watching TV might seem like fun, but it can have harmful long-term impacts on our sleep quality. Not only can people suffer from sleep deprivation, but many also report symptoms of insomnia and experience regularly poor sleep quality (Source: PubMed). Conditions like insomnia and sleep deprivation have tenfold impacts on the body, affecting memory, immunity, and overall health.
Developing these irregular sleep patterns also makes it even harder for you to get back to a healthy sleep schedule. Poor rest during the day can also lead to regular fatigue and decreased cognitive function. Binge-watching is not at all beneficial for our long-term sleep health, so what can we do about it? Fortunately, there are several things we can do to mitigate this challenge.
The Best Strategies to Mitigate the Negative Effects of Binge-Watching
Whether you binge-watch once in a blue moon or regularly, there are some methods you can use to avoid the negative impacts of binge-watching. Here are some ideas you might want to try next time you find yourself up late at night:
- Limit Your Screen Time: The first step to avoiding adverse effects is to stop the habit altogether! If you want to stay up, limit yourself to only an episode or two rather than multiple. Set a timer and turn off your TV when it goes off so you can get some good rest.
- Create a Pre-Sleep Routine: If you have a calming pre-sleep routine, you’ll be able to overcome some of the adverse effects. You can do things like read, meditate, or even take a warm bath to help you settle in for the night.
- Make Better Choices: If you want to watch TV, why not opt for something lighter? Shows or movies that will emotionally arouse you are not the best, so choose something calming and less stimulating if you need entertainment.
- Cultivate the Right Environment: There’s nothing quite as beneficial as a suitable space for rest, so make sure you choose comfy pillows and blankets. Set the temperature to the right setting so you stay cool and comfortable all night long.
Protect Your Sleep Health and Avoid Binge-Watching TV at Night
While binge-watching your favorite TV shows at night may seem like the perfect way to wind down, it can have harmful impacts on your holistic health. If you find yourself up late at night with a movie, try some of the methods we discussed to see if they help you feel better when morning arrives. At the very least, you’ll support your overall health as you find ways to improve habits to ensure quality rest!
