“You are what you eat.” It’s a saying that has been around for years. But it’s also one that applies to watching too much TV.
If you’re a couch potato, chances are you’ve been watching too much TV. A lot of people feel like they can’t live without their favorite shows, but these shows are affecting them psychologically and health-wise.
I’m going to show you how watching too much television is making your brain smaller, increasing stress levels, affecting your sleep, and causing other health problems.
Studies published on statista.com suggest that adults will spend an average of 3 hours watching TV each day in 2022. This figure has fallen from the study results for previous years and this downward trend is estimated to continue for several other years.
This is an indication that many Americans have realized the short-term and long-term effects of watching too much TV. So what are some of the major impacts of watching so much TV on adults?
The effects of too much TV-watching on adults are more than just an early bedtime. Here are some of the ways it affects your health;
Table of Contents
1. Sleep
Television is not just a time waster. It can also be a cause of insomnia. The light emitted from screens at night can suppress your body’s production of melatonin, which helps to regulate sleep-wake cycles.
By watching TV in bed, you’re exposing yourself to blue light, which is known to suppress melatonin production even further. A recent study published in 2015 shows that watching too much TV is directly associated with a couple of sleep problems.
2. Weight gain
A study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that people who regularly watch television are more likely to gain weight compared with those who do not watch TV at all.
A study published in the American Journal of Public Health found that people who watched television regularly were more likely to be overweight or obese than those who didn’t watch much TV.
The researchers also found that people who watched more than two hours a day had a higher risk of being overweight or obese.
While this study only shows an association between television viewing and obesity, it’s important to note that obesity can lead to other health problems, including diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.
3. Bad for your long-term brain growth
The average American spends about two hours a day watching TV. That translates to about 3,000 hours a year, which adds up to about 25 years of your brain’s life being dedicated to the medium.
It seems like such an obvious idea that TV kills your brain, but it turns out there’s some evidence behind it. In a recent study published in the journal Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, researchers found that watching TV reduces gray matter density in parts of the brain associated with attention and memory.
A recent study published in the National Library of Medicine showed that watching television can give you a false sense of security, especially if you’re a parent.
Researchers at the University of Michigan found that people who watched more than two hours of TV per day had significantly reduced gray matter volume in a region of their brain called the anterior cingulate cortex.
The anterior cingulate cortex plays an important role in regulating emotions and behaviors. Scientists believe it is responsible for our ability to maintain healthy relationships with others and ourselves. They also believe this region helps us regulate our moods and behavior by monitoring our internal state.
4. Depression and anxiety
It’s a fact: watching too much television increases depression and anxiety. The more TV you watch, the worse off your mental health becomes.
Recent research has found that people who spend a lot of time watching television may be at an increased risk for depression and anxiety.
This is especially true in young people, according to the study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health in 2021. The study looked at nearly 1,000 people between the ages of 18 and 25 who were diagnosed with depression or anxiety disorder.
The results showed that those who watched more than five hours of television a day were twice as likely to have poor mental health compared to those who watched less than three hours a day. The long time spent in front of the TV can negatively affect your emotional and mental well-being.
5. Chronic back and neck pain
When you sit in front of the TV, your body leans forward and your neck muscles are stretched out to support your head. This puts a lot of strain on your muscles, which can lead to chronic pain.
And when you’re sitting for long periods, it’s easy for your spine to become crooked due to constant pressure from gravity. Your spine also gets hit by repeated impacts from being bent over too far with bad posture.
FAQs
How much TV is too much for adults?
The average American watches more than two hours of television a day.
The amount of time you spend watching tv may vary from person to person, but research suggests that if you’re watching more than 3 hours of television per day, this could be detrimental to your health.
What are the effects of watching too much TV?
There are a lot of benefits to TV watching, but it can also have some adverse effects on your health.
Watching too much TV can lead to obesity, back and neck pain, depression, and other health issues. In addition to this, it can cause problems with sleep, which will affect your overall health in many ways.
Conclusion
Television is a visually stimulating form of entertainment. Watching TV usually requires little effort on the part of the viewer, and it is easy to overindulge in this passive activity.
There are times, however, when people watch too much television and become depressed or over-extended which can negatively affect their health.
