Is It Really That Bad for You to Fall Asleep Under the TV?
In an ideal world, we would all turn off our electronic devices at least half an hour before bed, take a bath, read a relaxing book, meditate, and then fall asleep on our freshly washed lavender-scented sheets. But for me – and about 60 percent of Americans – it actually involves watching TV while trying to sleep.
I know, I know – sleeping with the TV on isn’t just anunderrated Billy Joel song : it’s also a terrible habit. We are ordered to remove TVs from bedrooms (or never put them there from the start), which is fine, but thanks to streaming services, we can also “watch TV” from our laptops, tablets and phones, so it is mostly available to everyone. time. And is it really that bad?
Why falling asleep in front of the TV is soothing (for some)
While I can’t speak for others who fall asleep with the TV on, much of the attraction for me has to do with my anxiety and PTSD. No matter how many breathing exercises I do or read boring articles, as soon as I feel like I’m about to fall asleep, my brain replays a montage of everything I would rather not think about: deadlines, setbacks, sick friends and family, politics, superbugs, if I accidentally offended someone in an email, what happens to our bodies after death – I try to get all this out of my head in order to be productive during the day. Then, when I wake up in the middle of the night with vivid memories of PTSD, I need to visually replace those graphic with something else, and it helps to stick with episode 30 of Rock or Golden Girls.
According to Rose McDowell, Principal Investigator for Sleepopolis , I’m not alone. “Many people are used to falling asleep with the TV on to block out other sounds or distract themselves from thoughts or anxious feelings while they fall asleep,” she says. “Others find the sound of the TV soothing and may have difficulty falling asleep in silence.”
Why experts say falling asleep in front of TV is bad
After receiving feedback from various sleep and mental health experts, it became clear that they are not fans of people falling asleep with their TV on. For example, Rebecca Cowan, Ph.D., a licensed professional consultant, stresses that sleep hygiene is important because it correlates with our mental well-being. In addition, falling asleep when the TV is on can interfere with the production of melatonin, a hormone that is produced and helps us sleep soundly, ”she explains. “In my professional opinion, I don’t believe there are any circumstances in which the TV is turned on while sleeping,” says Cowen.
In a similar vein, Terry Krell, a registered nurse and sleep expert at the Sleep Improvement Council , explains that watching TV before bed can increase our sleep deprivation – for example, if we get sucked into a show and keep watching it instead of going to it. sleep. She also notes that our brains still process sounds when we sleep, so the TV turned on all night can disrupt our sleep. Likewise, Mark Burchenn, MD, author of The 8-Hour Sleep Paradox, says that during the sleep stages before deep sleep, our brains are aware of voices and can respond to them. “In dreams that occur in deep sleep, sound can even affect what you dream about,” he tells Lifehacker.
Burchenn also mentions blue light emitted from TVs as another disadvantage, as it signals our brains to stay alert and can prevent us from falling into deep sleep. “Ultimately, when you sleep, you don’t want to stimulate your brain,” he says. “Your body needs quality sleep to ‘reshape’ the brain, cleaning it of unnecessary parts and consolidating the information you really need.”
Sleep is not for everyone
Of course, falling asleep with the TV on is not the best option, but not everyone is sure that this should be a strict rule. For example, Janine Joy, Ph.D. , a sleep researcher, says that individual differences are not taken into account when publishing sleep recommendations. “Just as there is no one particular diet that is ideal for every person, there is no one ideal sleep pattern that will work for every person,” she says.
And yes, for some it means sleeping with the TV on. But Joy says that if a person goes outside early in the morning and does some exercise at some point, the blue light from the TV may not disrupt their circadian rhythm as much, and they may sleep better with the TV on than without it. … She recommends using sleep actigraphy to check sleep quality while the TV is on. If this indicates that you are sleeping well, then it will be good for you to fall asleep with the TV on, as long as it doesn’t bother your partner. “There is nothing wrong with sleeping with the TV on if the person sleeps well under the circumstances,” she says.
In fact, Joy points out that there are a number of scenarios in which turning on the TV while falling asleep can be beneficial. For example, the TV can drown out external noises such as barking dogs, sirens, neighbor fights, and gunfire. In a similar vein, Eva Cohen, a certified sleep science trainer at Kansas-Sleep, says that people with mental health conditions such as PTSD can in some cases benefit from distraction from memories with TV shows. But like most other experts, she emphasizes that it is best not to watch TV for two hours before bed and consult with a therapist to find the best coping mechanisms.
What to try instead
If you absolutely can’t sleep without your TV on and don’t want to try other methods, some of the experts we spoke with suggested wearing blue light-blocking goggles at night. While this is good in theory, blue light blocking glasses are actually not very effective and the American Academy of Ophthalmology does not recommend them either .
Instead, Cralle recommends making sure your TV’s sleep timer is on – ideally for 30 minutes, for a maximum of an hour. It also encourages us to reflect on what we watch when we fall asleep. “If you think you need to watch TV before bed to relax and fall asleep, watch something boring: no politics, gunfire / violence or ‘detectives’,” she says. Rather than pissing you off or making you keep watching, she suggests choosing “a low-key sitcom, or better yet, a replay you’ve watched a million times before.”
But if you want to sleep without a TV, what can help you? Joy says he prefers listening to binaural music through headphones rather than a TV. Although research is limited , a small 2018 study found that binaural beats can help improve sleep quality. Others, like Cowan, recommend falling asleep to a sound machine or relaxing music, while Krall says others are fortunate enough to fall asleep to audiobooks or podcasts.
Rather than focusing on sounds, Cohen suggests trying to channel your vivid imagination by reading fiction stories before bed. “It will help you express your emotions better and reduce your stress levels,” she explains.
And if part of the appeal of turning on the TV while you sleep is that it serves as a night light, you can explore some of the new sleep lighting options , including smart bulbs that reflect your circadian rhythm ( from GE, for example ) or app-activated lighting. …
All of this will likely take some trial and error to find the sleep system that works best for you. And if you are someone who absolutely cannot sleep without the TV on, and this does not affect the quality of your sleep, know that you cannot lose sleep from this habit.