{"id":28288,"date":"2020-01-05T13:34:57","date_gmt":"2020-01-05T18:34:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/restonic.com\/sin-categorizar\/reasons-ditch-netflix-sleep-2465"},"modified":"2022-04-19T17:00:19","modified_gmt":"2022-04-19T21:00:19","slug":"reasons-ditch-netflix-sleep-2465","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/restonic.com\/es\/better-sleep-es\/reasons-ditch-netflix-sleep-2465","title":{"rendered":"5 Reasons to Ditch Netflix & Sleep Better Tonight"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"5Just one more episode of your favorite show on Netflix can\u2019t be that dangerous\u2026<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s 2 am and the next episode of \u201cTiger King\u201d is calling your name on Netflix. But after what seems like only minutes you hear the alarm clock buzzing \u2013 you just binged all night. Time for work! What\u2019s so bad about extra screen time if you\u2019re \u201clying\u201d in bed? Isn\u2019t Netflix and chill supposed to be relaxing?<\/p>\n

Tuning into your favorite show to zone out might help relax you \u2013 until you eventually nod off. And you\u2019re not alone. It\u2019s estimated that two thirds of adults regularly fall asleep in front of the TV. Time to hit pause and investigate the dangers of sacrificing sleep and binge watching Netflix all night long.<\/p>\n

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1. Netflix affects your sleep. <\/strong>We know we need 7-8 hours of sleep each night but going to bed and waking up at the same time every day may be just as critical. Pushing past your bedtime to fit in another episode (or 3) can lead to high blood pressure, higher blood sugar levels and an increased risk of heart attack or stroke, according to WebMD<\/a>. What\u2019s more, the blue from your TV can interfere with your ability to fall asleep when you\u2019re finally ready for bed. Light interferes with the production of melatonin, a hormone that lets the brain know when it\u2019s time for sleep.<\/p>\n

2. Netflix affects your waistline. <\/strong>Let\u2019s be honest, watching episode after episode of \u201cIron Chef\u201d is going to make your stomach rumble. If you don\u2019t have any smoked salmon on hand, someone should lock up the chips and Oreos, right? Research shows that night owls, those who go to sleep after midnight and wake up mid to late morning, not only sleep less but tend to eat more calories at dinner or bedtime snacks compared to \u201cnormal\u201d sleepers. It\u2019s not just what you eat, but when you eat, according to intermittent fasting experts<\/a>. Put simply, your sleep habits have a major influence on when you eat and how much.<\/p>\n

3. Netflix might add stress to your night. <\/strong>Whether it\u2019s \u201cDead to Me\u201d or \u201cOzark\u201d, suspense is what reels us in and keeps us hooked, urging us to bend our bedtime rules. Night after night. Needless to say, staying one step ahead of the bad guy can be fun and stressful. And it will eventually kill a routine bedtime, which is a strategy that will come to haunt you over the long term. Carve your bedtime in stone<\/a> and stick to it. The pay off \u2013 a sweet night of sleep.<\/p>\n

4. Netflix could affect the quality of your output at work in the morning. <\/strong>The characters in \u201cMad Men\u201d are always at the office but if you\u2019re watching them from your comfy couch when you should be at the office or sleeping, you\u2019re asking for trouble. \u00a0Study after study shows that people who go to bed after 11:30 on a work\/school night tend to have\u00a0lower productivity<\/a>\u00a0levels compared to people who regularly clock 7-9 hours of sleep, according to the Associated Professional Sleep Societies.<\/p>\n

5. Netflix may lead to disrupted sleep. <\/strong>Falling asleep while watching your computer or TV may also mean falling asleep with the bedroom light on. Having the light on all night during sleep can is associated with shallow sleep, which is an opportunity for\u00a0disrupted sleep.<\/a> It\u2019s worth repeating that it\u2019s important to create a sleep environment designed for a good night\u2019s sleep. Consider light-blocking curtains to remove outside light. Move electronics out of the bedroom to avoid sleep-wrecking blue light<\/a>, which throws off your circadian rhythms. And if you have loud neighbors or housemates with a different sleep schedule, a white noise machine or earplugs will help block out distracting sounds throughout the night.<\/p>\n

But what if I really do need the TV to fall asleep?<\/h2>\n

\"5Do you ever find yourself in a rut of repetitive thinking, a cyclical or infinite loop of ruminating on the same subject? \u201cA key feature of insomnia is that people are inwardly focused and often have cyclic thoughts,\u201d says Zeitzer, an associate professor at Stanford University in the Center for Sleep Sciences and Medicine. \u201cWatching something on TV can, basically, allow people to get out of their own way and allow for sleep to occur.\u201d<\/p>\n

So there might be exceptions to falling asleep to the TV \u2013 good news if you\u2019re having trouble breaking the habit. The key is finding shows where nothing unexpected happens and there are no loud explosions of excitement, like Friends or Parks & Rec. You\u2019ll be able to distract yourself without worrying that you\u2019ll be jolted awake during the next auto-played episode. If falling asleep is chronic issue for you, watching TV can become routine, like brushing your teeth before bed. But Zeitzer warns that it can backfire as well, becoming so habit-forming that it\u2019s impossible to fall asleep without TV. \u201cIf the power is out, or you are somewhere there is no TV, it might be anxiety-provoking or just cause difficulties in initiating sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n

A quick primer on better bedtime habits<\/h2>\n

When you\u2019re overcoming a sleep deficit, these are some of basic principles for creating good slumber conditions:<\/p>\n