When asked why they prefer to sleep with the television on, some people respond that they find the hum in the background comforting when they try to fall asleep. Others say they feel supported. And there are those who explain that some relaxing, or even boring, programs help them feel sleepy. However, science assures that this custom only brings harm to health. This is stated in the study carried out by the team from the Department of Neurology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.
This research, published in the scientific journal The Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), explains that exposure to ambient light at night is a risk factor for health. Maintaining the routine of watching television before bed prevents people from being able to experience adequate and healthy rest. As well as other consequences for the well-being of the organism.
When sleeping with the television on, the light it gives off, even if it is little, according to the researchers, causes damage to cardiovascular function. In addition, an increase in insulin resistance has been detected the next morning. The effect of this exposure to ambient light causes the body to enter a state of alert, according to the study. The consequence is that the heart rate is increased and the body is not able to rest well.
This is influenced by the interference it causes with the levels of melatonin, the hormone responsible for regulating sleep. Thus, those who usually sleep with the television on are at greater risk of suffering from heart disease, related to metabolic syndrome or diabetes, as the study warns.
Although people who sleep with the television on explain the reasons behind why they maintain this habit, there are a series of explanations provided by Psychology. Above all, in the case of individuals for whom this custom becomes a real necessity. And the big culprits are usually the background sounds.
Psychologist Elena Sanz assures that there are individuals who have made it a habit to sleep with television, a pattern that is part of their daily lives and that reports “some type of immediate benefit.” Other times it has to do with the intention of camouflaging other environmental noises, from street traffic to someone else's snoring. But it can also be a way to counteract loneliness or ruminative thoughts.
In some cases, silence causes discomfort. “There are many people who find this lack of sounds uncomfortable and disturbing,” says the specialist. The fear of loneliness or the negativity that it entails for certain individuals pushes them to resort to the background sound of television to appease that unpleasant feeling. Something similar to what happens with worries, memories or unwanted thoughts. Television serves as a distraction to avoid them.
