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Binge-watching Netflix ‘could be wrecking your sleep’, experts warn

Stranger
Stranger

It’s the modern way to watch television – but is ‘binge-watching’ TV shows actually wrecking our sleep?

Researchers at the University of Michigan and the Leuven School for Mass Communication Research in Belgium found that people who binge-watch might be harming their sleep – and that watching TV ‘normally’ doesn’t have the same effect.

In other words, catching up on a few episodes of the Walking Dead might leave you feeling like a zombie yourself.

‘Our study signals that binge viewing is prevalent in young adults and that is may be harmful to their sleep,’ said co-author Jan Van den Bulck, U-M professor of communication studies.

The researchers surveyed 423 adults between the ages of 18 to 25 in February 2016 – asking about their sleep quality and how often they ‘binge-watched’.

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Those who binge-viewed reported more fatigue and sleep quality compared to those who didn’t binge-watch – and the researchers believe it may be due to the ‘cliffhangers’ in shows which people tend to ‘binge’.

Liese Exelmans, a researcher at the Leuven School for Mass Communication says, ‘Bingeable TV shows have plots that keep the viewer tied to the screen. We think they become intensely involved with the content, and may keep thinking about it when they want to go to sleep.”