Nearly 58% of people in the United States have their eyes on a screen before falling asleep, but is it OK to sleep with the TV on? Research has found that sleeping with the TV on may disrupt your sleep and raise the risk of weight gain.
Still, for some, the background noise can be relaxing or sleep-inducing,Vikas Jain, MD, a clinical assistant professor of sleep medicine at the Stanford University School of Medicine, toldHealth. The comfort and familiarity of your favorite movie or TV show may reduce anxiety keeping you awake at night.
Read on to learn about the risks of sleeping with the TV on and some alternatives to help you fall asleep.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Health-GettyImages-1162776446-783988d8121d44a6abbfb0250e6a82c2.jpg "What Falling Asleep With the TV on Is Really Doing to Your Health (1)")
A study published in 2016 found that using media of any kind as a sleep aid promotes poor sleep hygiene.
Experts advise that adults get seven to eight hours of sleep per day. Sleeping with the TV on may make it challenging to meet that goal by keeping your mind stimulated.
A study published in 2015 found that 15% of people surveyed had trouble falling asleep with the TV on. Nearly 20% felt tired when waking up.Not getting enough sleep impairs your ability to focus, think clearly, and recall memories.
Other adverse effects of sleep deprivation on mood include:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Irritability
- Trouble with relationships
2) Interrupts Melatonin Production
Light helps manage your sleep-wake cycle. Typically, light from the sun keeps you awake during the day. Artificial light, or blue light, from your phone, a room light, or a TV can keep you awake at night.
Falling asleep with your TV on means exposing yourself to blue light from electronics. Blue light exposure can affect your sleep quality by suppressing melatonin production. Melatonin is a hormone that regulates your sleep-wake cycle.
Blue light can delay sleep onset, or the time it takes to fall asleep. Some evidence suggests that sleep onset of less than 30 minutes signals good quality sleep.
In contrast, the flickering of the TV screen may lengthen sleep onset and reduce rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. As a result, you may miss out on some of the essential restorative work your body does during REM sleep, such as consolidating memories.
The stimulating audio and light from a TV not only impact your mood but may raise your risk of health concerns like:
- Heart disease
- High blood pressure
- Kidney disease
- Obesity
- Stroke
- Type 2 diabetes
Research has found that sleep deprivation links to weight gain. A study published in 2019 examined the effects of light on sleep and weight among 43,000 women aged 35–74.
The researchers found the women who slept with a TV had a 17% higher chance of gaining weight than others. In contrast, women who slept with a room light did not have significant weight gain.
Possible Benefits of Sleeping With the TV On
Despite the possible risks of sleeping with the TV on, some evidence suggests that media use before bed may not affect sleep quality.
According to Dr. Jain, using the TV to fall asleep may have some benefits, such as:
- Is a source of white noise:Setting the volume on the TV not so loud that it prevents your body from going into sleep mode has a similar effect to using a white noise machine. The ambient noise helps reduce the time it takes you to fall asleep.
- Offers comfort:Streaming a movie or TV show you've seen multiple times offers familiarity. That's especially the case if what you're watching is lighter in nature, like a Hallmark movie or sitcom. That comfort may lessen any anxiety or racing thoughts that keep you awake.
- Reduces blue light:Watching TV on an actual television—instead of a phone or tablet right in front of your face—may lessen your blue light exposure.
20 Things Not To Do Before Bed
Still, you may achieve those same benefits without turning on the TV. Research has found that as many as half of people use some sort of sound to help them fall asleep.
Sleep aids that provide calming audio without emitting blue light include:
- Ambient noises: Color noises (e.g., brown, pink, or white noise) may help you fall asleep without blue light exposure. For example, pink noise consists of low sound waves. Pink noise is softer than white noise, which includes equal levels of all frequencies. Other calming noises include fan, sea, and rain sounds.
- ASMR: This includes auditory, visual, or tactile stimuli that induce relaxation. For example, you might listen to the sounds of tapping on various objects or typing on a keyboard to calm down. Still, there's a lack of evidence on ASMR and its effects on sleep.
- Music: Research has found that music helps lower blood pressure and heart rate and slow breathing. Consider playing your favorite classical or slow songs on a low volume to help mimic the comfort and familiarity of your favorite TV show without blue light.
Consider slowly lessening your TV use to help improve your sleep hygiene. For example, try avoiding the TV screen and listening to only the audio.
Turning off autoplay may reduce the chances that changes in sound or flickering lights disturb you during lighter sleep stages. You might set your TV to turn off automatically at a specific time to cut out the light after you fall asleep.
Still, make sure you don't become too dependent on TV as a sleep aid. Reinforcing the link between sleep and TV can make it hard to drift off without it, especially in environments where you do not have access.
Instead, reinforce other calming bedtime behaviors, such as:
- Listening to calming music
- Reading a book
- Taking a warm bath
- Trying progressive muscle relaxation (PMR), a technique in which your clench and relax different body parts
- Using a low light close to bedtime
Having various sleep-promoting options helps avoid becoming too reliant on any one habit. You'll be able to get a good night's sleep no matter the environment you're snoozing in.
A Quick Review
Anxiety and racing thoughts are the most common reasons people have trouble sleeping. Keeping the TV on low may help you drift off to sleep if it calms you down.
Still, more research is needed to know the effects of watching TV on sleep. Plus, there are better ways to promote good sleep hygiene than watching TV, such as listening to calming music or reading a book.
Consult a healthcare provider if you try implementing healthy bedtime habits but still have trouble sleeping.
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Tell us why!
As someone deeply versed in the domains of sleep science, neuroscience, and psychology, I can confidently discuss the various concepts and claims made in the article you provided.
1. Impact of Screens on Sleep: The article highlights a significant concern about screen exposure, especially before bedtime. This concern is well-founded. Screens emit blue light, which interferes with our circadian rhythm by suppressing melatonin production. Melatonin is a hormone that signals to our body when it's time to wind down and sleep. The consistent use of screens can delay sleep onset, disrupt sleep quality, and even affect the deeper stages of sleep like REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep.
2. Sleep Hygiene: The term 'sleep hygiene' refers to practices and habits that are conducive to sleeping well on a regular basis. Using media, like TV or smartphones, as a sleep aid can be counterproductive. The 2016 study mentioned in the article highlights that using media for sleep can compromise sleep hygiene. This is crucial because poor sleep hygiene can lead to various health issues, including impaired cognitive function, mood disturbances like anxiety and depression, and even physical health problems like heart disease and obesity.
3. Blue Light and Melatonin: The connection between blue light exposure and melatonin suppression is a well-researched area. Blue light, especially from electronic devices like TVs, tablets, and smartphones, can disrupt our internal body clock. This disruption can lead to difficulties falling asleep and staying asleep. Moreover, the article rightly points out that prolonged exposure to blue light from TVs can reduce REM sleep, which is essential for memory consolidation and emotional regulation.
4. Health Risks Associated with Sleep Deprivation: The article touches upon several health risks linked to sleep deprivation, including heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney disease, obesity, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. Numerous studies over the years have established a strong correlation between inadequate sleep and these health conditions. For instance, the 2019 study highlighted in the article found a significant association between sleeping with a TV on and weight gain among women.
5. Alternatives to Sleeping with TV On: The article provides useful alternatives to using the TV as a sleep aid. Ambient noises like white noise, pink noise, or natural sounds (e.g., rain, sea) can create a soothing environment conducive to sleep. Additionally, techniques like progressive muscle relaxation (PMR), listening to calming music, reading, or taking a warm bath can promote relaxation and improve sleep quality.
6. Importance of Consistent Sleep Routine: The article emphasizes the importance of establishing a consistent sleep routine and avoiding dependency on specific sleep aids like TV. This advice aligns with sleep hygiene principles. By diversifying sleep-promoting strategies and incorporating habits that promote relaxation and winding down, individuals can cultivate better sleep hygiene and improve overall sleep quality.
In summary, while the familiar comfort of falling asleep to a favorite TV show or movie might seem relaxing, the scientific evidence suggests potential risks to sleep quality and overall health. Adopting healthy sleep habits and minimizing screen exposure before bedtime can contribute to better sleep hygiene and overall well-being.
