Binge-watching danger

RESEARCH by the University of Michigan and the Leuven School for Mass Communication Research in Belgium found that higher binge-viewing frequency led to poorer sleep quality, fatigue and insomnia.

Regular TV viewing did not present this problem. Researchers surveyed 423 adults between 18 and 25, asking about their sleep quality, fatigue and insomnia, as well as the frequency of binge-watching programmes.

About 81% of respondents reported they had bingewatched. Of this group, nearly 40% did it once during the month preceding the study, while 28% said they did it a few times. About 7% had binge-viewed almost every day the preceding month. Men binge-watched less frequently than women, but the viewing session nearly doubled that of women. Respondents said they slept seven hours and 37 minutes on average, and those who binge-viewed reported more fatigue and poor sleep quality compared with those who didn’t binge-watch.

Liese Exelmans, the study’s lead author, said people might sleep enough – seven to nine hours for adults – but the quality was not always good.

The study showed that increased cognitive arousal before sleep was the mechanism explaining the effects of binge viewing on sleep quality. After bingewatching TV shows, one usually has a racing heart or one that beats irregularly, and is mentally alert.

This can create arousal, which in turn prolongs sleep onset and leads to poor sleep quality. – ANA-Xinhua