If binge-watching TV shows is your go-to activity for winding down, you may want to find a new hobby. As reported by City Today, a study recently found a link between binge-watching TV in young adults with a variety of sleep issues.
Liese Exelmans of the University of Leuven in Belgium, the lead author of the study, told City Today that binge-watching TV increases “cognitive pre-sleep arousal,” even after the show is over. This, in turn, can increase insomnia, hurt sleep quality and lead to fatigue.
The study found that 80% of young adults self-identified as binge-watchers, and 20% of them had binge-watched at least several times a week in the past month. These admitted binge-watchers reported that they felt more alert at bedtime, slept more poorly, and suffered more effects of insomnia than non-binge-watchers. Their chances of having worse sleep than their non-binging counterparts clocked in at 98%.
The next time you consider watching hours upon hours of television at night, keep in mind that your sleep quality may suffer.
You can read the full article here.