In the technology-driven world in which we live, many bedrooms feature a television; it’s common in bedrooms across the country. Whereas bedroom rituals used to consist of late-night reading, this has largely been replaced by boxsets on the television. There isn’t anything wrong with watching television in the evening, and you should not feel guilty about it; however, excessive television can negatively affect the quality of your sleep. Our affiliation with television is laid bare with statistics outlining that the average Brit per week watched over 22.5 hours of tv in 2020. Continue reading to gain an insight into what’s defined as binge-watching, the effects of this and how it can be combatted.
As per the Cambridge Dictionary definition, binge-watching is ‘to watch several episodes of a television series or programme, one after another.’ However, this could be considered somewhat ambiguous, and to put this into context, watching between two and six TV series episodes in one sitting is binge-watching.
Excessive amounts of television for a prolonged period can negatively impact your physical and mental health. Below are some of the impacts of binge-watching.
Similar to the intrinsic link between laying in bed and watching television, there is often the temptation to sit in bed with your favourite snacks and the new series of the drama you’re streaming. It makes perfect sense, really, and it’s the sense of solace that comes with comfort, entertainment and sweet treats juxtaposing an exhausting day. This home ritual is shared across the nation; we all deserve the opportunity to unwind. However, if this becomes a regular occurrence, television and junk food can offset addictions, and for susceptible people, eating junk food can lead to full-blown addiction. Finding yourself in the rabbit hole of a television series or marathon of films can lead to the temptation to snack.
Perhaps the most apparent consequence of too much screen time is its effect on our eyesight; whilst TVs don’t cause permanent eye damage, they can cause eye strain, a common condition that can lead to eye pain, blurry vision, and headaches. Check out our blog detailing the impacts and effects of blue light from devices and how this affects our eyesight and sleep.
Long periods spent in front of a screen and high content consumption can increase the risk of cognitive decline, potentially leaving you tired and impairing your ability to process new information.
It’s become a routine habit of tucking ourselves into bed and reaching for the television remote, sometimes, we aren’t even particularly interested in watching television, yet we’ll still trawl through category after category on streaming services to find something to watch before we fall asleep. Preparing yourself for bed when you actually feel tired reduces the temptation of switching the television on; do you ever have those nights where you fall asleep almost as soon as your head hits the pillow? Well, this can become increasingly common if you prepare for sleep at the point when you genuinely feel tired.
Of course, it doesn’t matter how tired you are if you’re sleeping on a poor mattress quality that is no longer suitable. If you’re struggling to sleep, then late-night or early-morning television could be tempting; a new mattress could be a two-fold solution in that it can improve the quality of your sleep while simultaneously reducing the window of opportunity for television viewing. If you feel it’s the right time to replace your mattress, consider our range of memory foam mattresses for body moulding and targeted support to provide unparalleled comfort and tailored night’s rest and combat your sleep troubles. Moreover, our help and advice hub features various useful articles designed to help combat your sleep troubles.
There is no harm in trying something new to fill the time you’d usually spend watching tv; consider reading or knitting, among other hobbies, and consequently cut down on the amount of television you watch.
A structured and systematic television routine controls your screen intake and details when it’s most suitable to watch television and when to take a break; a weekly schedule can act as a helping hand to reduce the time you spend in front of the television.
