With boredom, or need for entertainment, many people have found television to be the source of amusement and relaxation, though with less knowledge about its dangers if watched for longer hours continuously. Bingeing TV has been defined as watching more than three hours of shows in a single sitting. A number of studies have stated the risks of binge watching. FA=or instance, a study conducted by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health indicates that watching too much television can significantly increase the risk of developing obesity and type 2 diabetes. Another study carried out at the University of Rhode Island found that prolonged television watching decreases viewers’ sense of self-efficacy in maintaining personal health. New research from the United Kingdom shows that regularly watching over three hours of TV each day could lead to cognitive decline in language and memory down the line. According to Victoria Kress, a Counselor at Mental Health Hub, Kicukiro, inactivity is a risk associated with binge watching TV. While watching TV, you are generally immobile, you are not moving your body and engaged in the physical activity that is essential for good health. She says, when people watch TV, they often snack and these snack foods may not be healthy. Snacking combined with the physical inactivity associated with watching TV can lead to obesity and other health problems. “TV watching may interfere with ones relationship, because, while watching TV, its important to recognize what you are not doing. Maybe what you are not doing is connecting with others. Social connections are foundational to good mental health. Social connection requires time, attention, and energy, and one can’t build their relationship connections in front of a TV,” Kress says. She carries on that nothing is more foundational to good mental health than sleep. There is a great deal of research that suggests that TV watching can interfere with one’s sleep, especially when you watch TV before going to sleep. Basically, the TV interferes with your brain’s ability to “turn off” and this can create problems with falling or staying asleep. At least one study has found that people who binge-watch more have more insomnia and poorer quality sleep. While this may also be a matter of correlation to some extent, “pre-sleep arousal” also appears to play a significant role. Pre-sleep arousal includes both biological and psychological factors. If you are exposed to this kind of light before bed, it may disrupt your circadian rhythm, making it harder to sleep. Research shows that watching back-to-back episodes of your favorite show may excite your brain, and as a result, interferes with your ability to sleep. Squeezing in just one more episode can cause you to stay up late at night, leaving you feeling tired and drained the next day. Kress points out that people can become addicted to almost anything and TV is no exception. TV can also become addictive, meaning viewers may find themselves watching more than they planned and they may have a hard time giving it up. Some experts say that depression and anxiety can result from Binge watching. One study found that people who watch more TV suffer from anxiety and depression (possibly due to the isolation). Back problems can also be an outcome. Poor posture can cause your spine to be curved or weak. Sitting for long periods of time shrinks your lung capacity by a third. And lack of physical activity increases one’s risk for heart disease and stroke. Very Well Health states that hours you spend binge-watching your favorite series might feel great, but your blood vessels might not agree. In a 2018 study reported in the Journal of Thrombosis and Thrombolysis, researchers found prolonged sitting for binge-watching is similar to prolonged sedentary behavior for long flights or during illness—it can increase the risk for deep-vein thrombosis (DVT). In this study, researchers found people who were sitting for long periods while watching and streaming television had an up to 70 per cent higher risk for developing a blood clot than people who seldom watched TV. And that risk remains even if a person is not overweight and still being physically active. “Healthy alternatives to watching TV might include reading a book, engaging in physical activity or a hobby, or connecting with friends, family, or neighbors. We all have activities that spark joy and leave you feeling satisfied. We should each dig deep to determine what these activities are. TV tends to be a passive activity in that we aren’t creating, connecting, or moving forward. It might be helpful to limit your TV watching to at least one set amount of time each day,” Kress says.
