Sleep Doctors Have Surprisingly Good News If You Like To Fall Asleep Watching TV
The good news is, another key example has recently been debunked (to a certain extent). It's watching — or even more so, listening — to a TV show before bed.
'Many people ask me if falling asleep while watching TV is alright,' said Dr. Emma Lin, a board-certified pulmonologist, sleep medicine specialist and co-founder of ReadyO2.com. 'The reality is, it is just right for some individuals.'
Typically, we hear it's important to avoid screens before bed because they emit blue light, which can suppress the production of melatonin and disrupt our circadian rhythms (or our bodies' 'internal clocks'). This can make our bodies think it's time to be awake.
But according to sleep doctors, it's not that simple. Ahead, they explain how watching TV before bed can actually be beneficial, and how to do it right.
Watching TV Can Become Part Of Your Bedtime Routine
One more piece of sleep advice you've probably heard, for context: to have a bedtime routine. That might look like showering, taking your medication, brushing your teeth and hopping under the sheets. A routine helps with sleep because, over time, your brain associates the two.
For some people, TV is a part of that process.
'Their brain learns to associate it with falling asleep, so trying to sleep without it brings on anxiety,' said Dr. Chester Wu, the medical advisor at Rise Science who's double board-certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine. 'It's not that TV is helping them sleep — it's that it's become a part of their wind-down habit.'
Having TV as a part of your routine is even more 'OK' if it's paired with other healthy sleep practices.
'I've often recommended that watching TV before bed (when paired with other tailored and effective sleep strategies) can be a helpful part of a nightly routine,' said Dr. Michael Gradisar, the head of sleep science at Sleep Cycle.
TV Screens May Not Be The Problem We Thought
Blue light, blue light, blue light … as much as we hear about it, it's not necessarily the thing that keeps you awake.
'While blue light from phones or screens is often blamed for poor sleep, my research has shown that the biggest disrupter is actually delaying bedtime,' Gradisar said.
With that said, watching TV may be a better option compared to scrolling on your phone.
'Of the screen-based activities people engage in before bed, watching TV is the least disruptive,' Gradisar said. 'TV is a passive device compared to phones.'
Additionally, the light may not be as bright, and therefore as problematic, as we thought. Lin said if the screen isn't super bright, and the content isn't disturbing, 'there's a negligible effect.'
Gradisar agreed. He pointed to a 2024 study in Sleep Medicine Reviews that found light emitted from screens is not intense enough to disrupt sleep.
TV Time Can Reduce Nighttime Anxiety
Feel more anxious at night? Perhaps you can't stop thinking about all you have to get done tomorrow, or you keep having 'cringe attacks'? If so, you're not alone: According to survey findings published by the American Psychological Association, 43% of people have lain awake at night due to stress.
Watching TV can get your mind off your worries, allowing your brain to slow down and drift off. But again, it just comes down to timing.
'Watching TV or listening to a podcast as a wind-down routine can be perfectly fine, especially if it helps reduce nighttime overthinking, as long as it doesn't cut into the number of hours of rest you get,' Gradisar said.
Lin agreed, with an additional point. 'If what you watch is calm, something you've watched before, it can wind down your brain,' she said. 'That gets you asleep sooner.'
TV Isn't Necessarily The No. 1 Answer To Your Sleep Woes, Though
However, it's essential to note that other studies have found blue light (or just bright light) from screens to be harmful. Wu said that a TV screen in a darkened room — the latter of which is ideal for sleep — creates more circadian disruption than the same screen in a bright environment.
There's also the psychological or sociological piece to consider: We stay up watching TV because, well, we want to stay up watching TV. 'This includes staying up later than planned or engaging in revenge bedtime procrastination, which is when you try to reclaim personal time late at night,' Wu said.
And that's a good example of another one of his points: Your sleep may be disrupted more than you realize. 'Even if you don't feel wired after watching TV, it may still impact your sleep quality in subtle ways,' Wu said. (Hello, 'junk sleep.')
Follow These Best Practices From Doctors
If you're going to fall asleep to a TV show, Lin and Wu suggested following this advice:
Set a sleep timer so the TV turns off after 30 to 60 minutes
Angle the screen away so it's not directly shining on you
Stick to familiar, low-drama, soothing shows
Turn down the volume
Use night mode or dim your screen
Don't wear headphones — sound coming directly into your ears keeps your brain more awake
Try blue light-blocking glasses
Practice other healthy sleep habits (such as sleeping in a cool, dark room; exercising; avoiding caffeine; and keeping naps to around 20 minutes)
Set boundaries around screen time and bedtime
Go to bed at the same time every night
The bottom line: Listen to your body and watch its patterns.
'If you sleep with [the] TV on, track whether you feel more or less rested on certain nights, or notice differences in how easily you wake up,' Wu said.
From there, stick with what works. If you're used to sleeping without a TV or a screen, that may be your best bet. If TV is a part of your nighttime routine, consider following those earlier best practices to ensure it's as least harmful as possible.
Related...
Hot Sleeper? These 14 Genius Products Can Help You Get Better Rest
If You Struggle To Fall Asleep, You Might Have This Specific Type Of Insomnia
'Orthosomnia' Might Be Ruining Your Sleep. Here's What You Should Know.
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Offering empathy and support instead of dismissal can make a significant difference in someone's mental health journey. Solve the daily Crossword
