A recent study found 70 percent of Americans binge-watch TV shows, sitting through an average of five episodes per marathon session. But that trend raises some health concerns.
, a mental health counselor with Parkland Hospital, cautions there鈥檚 little difference between the person who watches several or all episodes of a series via a streaming service and a classic 鈥渃ouch potato鈥� who watches a lot of television.
In either case, she says it means we鈥檙e less active physically when watching for several hours at a time and more prone to food choices that can both contribute to obesity. Binge-watching can also affect stress levels and sleep and even contribute to depression.
However, Melton-Otumba says there are steps you can take to enjoy the best new series in a healthier manner.
Interview Highlights:
Binge-watching can affect your sleep: It really causes your brain often times to get activated to the point where if you鈥檙e doing it near normal sleep time hours, it鈥檚 really hard for you to kind of wind down to be able to get the type of sleep you need to feel rejuvenated.
What you watch matters: If you鈥檙e watching something that鈥檚 very dramatic, violent, maybe a lot of negative images in it, that can increase normal stress hormones produced in our brain. That also has negative consequences because there鈥檚 higher anxiety or even higher depression rates, and then sleep deprivation.
Seniors beware: We鈥檙e seeing a little bit more of a negative side effect because seniors already have other things that they鈥檙e dealing with like heart issues. Binge-watching and some of the side effects as it relates to the chemicals that are being generated in their brain exacerbates some of the problems they鈥檙e already experiencing health-wise.
As for teenagers and twenty-somethings: What we see there is, again, sleep deprivation. That will affect their ability to function at the level they need to for school, being productive, helping out at home. We鈥檙e also seeing it can increase their anxiety levels and their depression levels as well.
Ways to break the habit: Making choices to be intentional about what you know is best for you. Setting a limit of watching one to two episodes instead of five to eight. Making sure you鈥檙e productive and doing other things in between episodes, like folding a load of laundry or doing a homework assignment, and letting that be the motivator to watch another episode rather sitting and watching several back to back.
Consider watching with a friend: When you鈥檙e binge-watching with other people, technically you鈥檙e still interacting with people. There鈥檚 still conversations going on. Maybe you鈥檙e still doing other things versus really being sucked into that show by yourself and there鈥檚 not a lot of other stimulation going on because you鈥檙e really involved in the storyline of that show.
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