Watching TV before bed leads to sleep deprivation and chronic disease

Added 08.01.2010

A new study from the U.S. has linked watching TV before bed to poor sleep quality. This is a huge deal given that about 50% of pre-sleep activity in the U.S. is watching TV, a trend that is likely very similar in the UK. Scientists discovered that watching TV before bedtime replaces valuable sleep time, which results in less hours of sleep. If lack of sleep accumulates (sleep debt) over time, a person is increasingly at risk for many health problems.

Watching TV before bed causes chronic disease

Your favourite show is on and although you know you should go to sleep, you force yourself to stay awake. Sound familiar? We have all done it, but you could be placing your health at risk if you do it often. Getting enough sleep - about seven to eight hours a day - is crucial for the proper functioning of all your body systems, especially your nerve and immunological systems. Drowsiness, decreased concentration and reflexes, irritability, memory problems and moodiness are just some of the effects of sleep deprivation. On a regular basis, sleep deprivation can have drastic health consequences: obesity, heart disease, diabetes, depression, and infections, such as colds and flu have all been strongly linked to not getting enough sleep. So next time you are about to flick on the TV at night, think about what it may do to your health and get some regenerating and rejuvenating sleep instead!

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