Watching Netflix and dozing off into the night is a ritual for me. I am not able to go to sleep without watching what ever show on Netflix interests me. The thing though is that my mom and dad always yell at me because it is so bad. I always thought that they were yelling at me because they didn’t like the fact that I was watching television, but it is because the light of the screen is so bad for the eyes and for the body. Having the light on right before bed or even during bedtime can cause one to be depressed, mess up one’s sleep cycle, and the eyes.
The lights messes with the sleep cycle because the light disrupts the normal amount of melatonin that should be released before bed. This causes someone to feel drowsy and not awake the next day. Research has show that getting seven to nine hours of sleep reduces stress and help fight chronic diseases, increase the amount of cognitive function and memory and even help with loosing weight.
Television, cell phones, and computers all have a short wavelength that is typically called “blue “ light. “One study showed that one hour of moderately bright light exposure was sufficient to suppress nocturnal melatonin to daytime levels.” Here Also the light before bed alert the neurons resulting in our mind to be awake. When someone is loosing sleep due to his or her screen it causes one to become depressed. It doesn’t directly cause it, but it plays a role.
Computer Vision Syndrome is what is it called when someone’s eyes hurt or sting when they are looking at a screen. It can involves itchy eyes, eye fatigue, burning of the eyes, blurry vision, and light sensitivity. This could all result from watching screens late at night.
I watch TV every night on my computer and I feel so exhausted the next day. I am going to try to go to sleep without watching it and see how I feel the next day. I also want to protect my eyes so I am going to lay off the screens.
This blog is really interesting. I have a very bad habit of either staying up on my phone or computer and now I’m definitely going to try to stop doing that. I’ve never really thought it effected my sleeping patterns, but as I think about it I realize that it does keep me up later at night. Thank you for the information, it is really good to know!
I use my phone almost every night before I go to bed and for awhile now I realized that I am staying up much later than I should be. Thanks for the insight, definitely going to be putting my phone away and turning off all the lights in my room.
My roommate loves to watch television in the dark, but now I’m going to tell her not to. I did some further research on this topic and found that one of the worst things watching television in the dark can do is lead to depression. According to the following website, http://deadline.com/2015/01/binge-watching-linked-to-depression-and-loneliness-1201362817/, research suggests a person who likes to watch TV later at night becomes more drowsy which leads to depression. Even binge watching Netflix can lead to depression because people start to neglect important things and people in their life. They don’t focus on their priorities and it can lead to a great deal of problems. People need to not only try to watch television earlier in the day but also not become too engrossed in a show.
I could relate very well to this blog because I myself love to watch netflix. I would have to agree with the fact that a lot of light before bed can ruin your sleep cycle. I find when I’m watching TV,Netflix, or staring at my phone right before bed, I have a harder time falling asleep. However most things these days are considered dangerous and in this case i think the juice is worth the squeeze. Im not going to stop watching Netflix or staring at my phone before bed because i like it to much.
Netflix is dangerous for sure! And I thought that it was just dangerous for my grades! I never knew that watching too much of it can actually damage your eyes! Im defiantly going to “lay off the screen” for a while and try to do something productive :p But I dont think I can give up Netflix for good so here is an article that I found that talks about some benefits of watching Netflix
I always figured watching Netflix before bed was a bad idea, but I never realized it was actually bad for you. I am also assuming this includes looking at my phone and texting right before bed. My eyes always hurt after a while, and I never knew that had a real name for that, known as Computer Vision Syndrome. Also, I did not know that the light from the screen causes your brain neurons to tell your body to stay awake! I guess this is why I can never fall asleep and why I always press “watch next episode” pretending it is not 4am….
Like you, I watch netflix almost every night before I go to bed. I understand the research that says light messes up the sleep cycles and doesn’t let you fall asleep. Even with this research saying not to using electronic devices before bedtime I’m still going to use my phone and computer. Without watching netflix it takes me hours to fall asleep, Netflix is essential for my sleep and I don’t think it alters my sleeping habits.