Binge watching TV may actually be bad for your health
Step away from the Apple TV.
Like most people, you’ve probably found yourself holed up on a Sunday, when the weather sucks or you just wanted to zone out for a bit. Or maybe it’s just a regular week night and you need a House of Cards fix. Either way, streaming programs like Netflix and Showmi have made it easier than ever to stay up to date on our favourite television shows with back-to-back episodes on demand.
But what may feel like a relaxing way to waste away a couple – or five – hours, may actually be hurting your health.
The University of Toledo recently polled 408 North Americans and found that 35 per cent identified themselves as TV binge-watchers. That means that they consumed an average of five consecutive hours of TV in a single day – think 10 episodes of Fuller House or only five episodes of Game of Thrones.
While the majority (77 per cent) of those polled admitted to consuming at least two hours or more per day, those who exceeded this were found to have higher rates of stress, depression, anxiety and overall poor physical health.
“Literature shows that TV viewing (especially screen time) is associated with poor mental and physical health outcomes. With the advent of novel media for viewing television, ‘binge-watching’ is a growing public health concern that needs to be addressed,” the study concluded.
While further studies need to be conducted in order to pin down the why, it is something worth considering before you press that Next Episode button.
