Binge Watching Your Favorite TV Shows Can Affect Your Sleep Schedule

With the decline of network TV and the rise of streaming channels such as Netflix, Hulu, xfinity stream and now Disney+ it’s easier than ever to binge-watch your favorite shows, or the best shows on Netflix. In fact, Netflix users alone watch 165 million hours a day with the majority completing a season of a show in as little as five days. Streaming services have become increasingly popular, especially among the younger generation as it allows them to watch their favorite shows on their own schedule.

Unfortunately, it turns out binge watching isn’t great for your health. While that might seem obvious, health experts have found worrisome trends linking binge-watching to a variety of health issues. It doesn’t just eat up the time you could be spending working out, cooking healthy or spending time outside, it also affects your sleep schedule. So while it might be tempting to spend your weekend watching or rewatching your favorite shows, you might reconsider after learning about the health issues associated with binge watching.

Effects on Many Aspects of Health

As mentioned earlier, binge watching doesn’t just affect one aspect of your health, it affects many. No, this isn’t a TV-will-rot-your-brain screed, although there has been some research that TVs can be detrimental to developing brains (though it might be affected by heredity as well). For many adults, watching TV is a way to unwind and relax after a long day of work.

While it might be a way to relieve stress, it ultimately leads to a more sedentary lifestyle. Considering most people in office jobs are already sedentary for 8 hours of the day, tacking on another two hours can lead to serious health issues.  So what’s the real risk of a sedentary lifestyle? Studies have found that prolonged periods of sitting can lead to an increased chance of developing cardiovascular disease, stroke and even diabetes. Considering most people are already sitting for around 8 hours a day at an office job, coming home to then spend another 2+ hours in front of the TV can greatly increase your health risks.

That’s not all though. All that sitting leads to weaker core muscles, which can lead to back issues such as herniated discs or generalized back pain. Besides this, binge watching often goes hand-in-hand with binge eating, leading to weight gain, which can further increase the risk of back problems and developing cardiovascular disease. If that’s not enough, all that time spent in front of your TV not socializing can lead to an increased risk of developing depression or other mood disorders.

Sleep Quality

You probably know that you need around 8 hours of sleep a day, but there are times when you get the recommended amount but still feel tired and drained when you wake up the next day. Why does this happen? It’s because you’re not getting quality sleep.

So what exactly is sleep quality? It’s essentially a measure of how well you sleep. Typically this means falling asleep within 30 minutes or less and then sleeping throughout the night ideally without waking until the next morning. If you do happen to wake up in the middle of the night, you are able to go back to sleep within 20 minutes. On the flip side, bad quality sleep means lying awake in bed for hours, restlessness, early awakenings and trouble falling back asleep when you do wake up in the middle of the night. Most people who binge-watch shows tend to get poor sleep quality whether that means they have trouble falling and staying asleep. Similar to sleep deprivation, poor quality sleep can lead to reduced brain function, coordination and mood.

Sleep Deprivation

Streaming services make it so easy to binge-watch shows as they generally just put on the next episode after the first one finishes. Before you know it, it’s already 3am and you have to wake up for work in 4 hours. Raise your hand if this sounds like something you’ve done recently? Not surprisingly, binge-watching can often lead to insomnia symptoms and fatigue.

Sleep deprivation is a serious issue and around 70 percent of adults report they don’t get enough sleep at night. Besides the more immediate problems that sleep deprivation causes, combined with a sedentary life it can lead to a very high risk of developing cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, stroke, obesity, depression and diabetes. Even if you manage to catch up on sleep during the weekend by sleeping in, this can actually lead to sleep issues during the week as your body is used to sleeping later.

How Does Binge Watching Disrupt Sleep?

Binge-watching is a relatively new phenomenon so there’s not too much research as to how it actually disrupts sleep. With that said, researchers believe the biggest reason binge-watching some of the best shows on Netflix disrupt sleep is due to increased mental stimulation. Binge-worthy shows often have complex narratives and interesting characters which help immerse people in the world. While immersion can be great for the viewer, the intense action, imagery or scenes can make it harder for our brain to actually relax before sleep. What seems like a relaxing night is actually keeping our brains active.

You’ve probably experienced it yourself. After binging a show your mind tends to race and maybe you go online or talk to a friend so you can discuss your thoughts on the characters or a certain plot point. Or maybe you craft theories on the next episode or season. Due to all of this excitement and stimulation, you have trouble going to bed due to increased mental activity and, occasionally, increased heart rate.

Of course, it’s not just mental stimulation keeping you up. While you might already know that your smartphones and tablets emit blue light, did you know your TV does as well? There’s been plenty of research that shows the correlation between blue light and poor sleep quality. Essentially, blue light delays the release of melatonin (a hormone that controls our circadian rhythm), which ultimately keeps you awake later.

How to Better Consume TV Content

It’s all too easy to binge-watch shows nowadays especially with all of the new and exciting TV shows and xfinity stream being added every year. Luckily, you don’t have to give up your binge-watching habits, you just have to make a few changes:

• Limit how many episodes you are going to watch and stick to it! The amount of episodes you choose might depend on the type of show and the length of each episode. For example you might end up watch four 20 minute episodes but only two 40 minute episodes.

• If possible, try to watch with another person. You can act as accountability partners to make sure you both stop watching after the agreed upon limit. If you’re watching alone, set an alarm to go off after 80 or 90 minutes to remind you to stop watching.

• Move your TV out of your bedroom! Your brain should associate your bedroom with sleep not entertainment. If you can’t move your TV out of your room, consider downloading and watching the episodes on your smartphone or tablet in another area of the house.

• Disable the autoplay feature in your streaming service. It’s a bit hidden, but you can do this on Netflix, Hulu, Apple TV, etc. While it’s relatively simple, the act of having to manually go in and choose the next episode is a big enough barrier for some to prevent binge watching.

• Stop watching around an hour or more before your bedtime. Your brain needs time to relax and calm down, especially after a particularly intense episode.

• Take some time in between each episode to be active. This might mean just stretching or standing up or it could mean going outside for a quick walk.

• Plan your snacks so that you’re reaching for a bag of healthy carrots or fruit instead of chips and candy.

Sleep Schedule/Daily Routine

If you’re a binge-watcher, chances are your sleep schedule and routine are probably all messed up. While it will take some work, it’s not impossible to reset your clock and set up a healthy routine to ensure you get plenty of sleep. The trick is to take it slowly and be consistent and do the following:

• Slowly adjust your bedtime. Your body has a hard time dealing with sudden changes so instead of trying to sleep at 9pm if you’re used to going to bed at 1am instead try going to sleep at 12:45am instead for a few days and keep pushing it back 15 minutes every few days.

• Avoid napping, even if you’re tired. It should come as no surprise, but a nap can make it harder for you to go to sleep at night. Instead of sleeping, get active! This might mean going for a walk, working out or even something as simple as doing some chores around the house.

• Wake up at the same time every day. Yes, it’s tempting to sleep in on the weekends, but that can throw your sleep schedule off kilter. After all, your brain and body don’t actually understand the idea of weekends or vacations. It wants to wake up at the same time every day. So as much as wonderful as waking up late on the weekends is, it’s actually hurting your sleep schedule.

• Once you’ve set up a good sleep schedule, stick to it! Much like dieting, it’s a lot easier to break your sleep schedule than it is to form it! One late night can ruin your progress so make sure to stick to it.

• Dim the lights as you prepare for bed. You want to signal to your body and brain that it’s time to go to bed and bright lights have the exact opposite effect. Turn off any lights you don’t need in your house and, if possible, dim the lights in your bedroom. If your sleep routine includes reading before bed, use a small table or reading light to illuminate your books. Avoid looking at your smartphone, tablet or TV before going to bed as the blue light can affect your sleep schedule.

• Don’t eat or exercise too close to bed time. Both activities signal wakefulness to your body whether through elevated heart rate or digestion. Generally you want to avoid eating and exercising around 2-3 hours before bed.

Sleep Scheduled Continued

Your sleep schedule and daily routine are, by nature, intertwined. Once you’ve set up a good sleep schedule, plan your daily activities around it. For example, if you decide 7 hours of sleep is enough for you, make sure to block out that time in your calendar as well as your unwind time. That mind end up being a total of 9 hours you need to consider when scheduling things like gym visits, grocery shopping, making dinner, meeting with friends, hobbies, etc. A good daily routine works in tandem and honors your sleep schedule. It also helps increase your overall productivity.

While you don’t necessarily have to plan out every single detail of your day, it’s a good idea to make sure you fit in the important things. A good routine includes:

• Waking up early enough that you have time to go to the gym, shower, eat breakfast, get dressed, get your kids ready for school, walk the dog and get to work without rushing. All of this depends on your lifestyle and location. Some might need 3 hours, others might only need 2 hours.

• Factoring in cooking time for dinner/meal prep. Not only is it much healthier for you, it’s also much cheaper than ordering takeout.

• Setting aside some free time for you, whether that’s doing a hobby or meeting up with some friends.

• Nighttime routine for sleep! Guard these hours in your calendar. Maybe you need 2 hours to unwind before going to bed or just 30 minutes. Whatever schedule works for you, make sure to stick to it.

Schedule The Right Amount Of Time For Binge Watching and Sleep

Binge watching on xfinity stream or the best shows on Netflix might seem like a harmless activity, but it can lead to a host of short- and long-term health issues. There’s still research in the works when it comes to the long-term effects and causes of binge-watching, but it’s never a bad idea to limit your TV consumption. If you need help setting up healthy boundaries with your TV habits or just want to set up a better daily routine, it’s best to speak to a doctor or trained professional for advice as they can help you on your journey.

Lisa Czachowski is a professional social blogger and has worked on several online publications including Citrus Sleep. Lisa is an experienced content writer and copyeditor. You will find many of her works throughout CitrusSleep.com that cover a wide array of subjects including sustainability, natural, sleep products, health, fashion and many more. She is passionate about what providing as much information as possible on products you bring in your home and what we wear.

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