‘Binge watch’ is the new hobby/addiction these days. People prefer to binge watch shows, series, movies, etc. all day in order to call it a relaxing holiday but is this a good habit? Well, occasional binge watching is perfectly fine as it gives you the required break from work and life. But if you take this as a daily thing, we must warn you of the many cons of binge watching. Not just your eyesight is hampered with this addiction but majorly, your mental health takes a toll in the long run. If you have been an avid binge-watcher, read this article on how binge watching affect health.
Depression
There is a direct link between binge watching and depression. Since binge watching mostly happens with serious shows, thriller, etc. this can make you feel depressed over time. Entertainment should be a mix of genres no matter what one you prefer the most. Anything in excess is harmful, is applicable here as well. People who binge watch alone more than 3 days a week are highly likely to slip into depression or showcase symptoms of clinical depression.
Sleeplessness and Insomnia
There are incidences of people suffering from insomnia by binge watching. People get interested in watching the series and watch the videos till the end keeping aside their sleep schedule. As a result, their sleep cycles gets disrupted and when they wish to sleep, they cannot. This is because UV light emitted from TV or laptop or phone screens reduces the production of melatonin hormone that keeps the brain awake. People who binge watch often later get diagnosed with insomnia.
Also Read: 9 Things You Need To Know About Insomnia: Causes, Effects And Cure
Behavioral changes
Your mood can also change due to binge watching. Generally, people binge watch for relaxation but continuous binge watching that too serious plays can alter your behaviour. It is noticed by experts that binge watching makes people irritated that reflects in their behaviour. This can also be associated to sleeplessness that they encounter due to binge watching addiction. Thus, it is important to control this habit. Instead of spending too much time on screens, do meditation, read a book, do painting and other creative things.
Feeling of Loneliness
Yiy may become a victim of loneliness due to binge watching. People who indulge in serious binge watching are cut off from home and friends because they don't have time for other things. This is largely seen in adults who live alone or stay alone most of the day. If you see someone in your family with this addiction, try to engage them in other activities.
Poor Productivity
Binge-watching has a bad effect on mental and physical health as it hampers productivity of most people. Since you do not get enough sleep and you do not feel like work, it weakens your interest and eventually hampers your productivity, capacity. The stress levels increase gradually making your mental health suffer the most. You should watch the series or videos by fixing the weekend or a particular day and also reduce the time to watch them.
Also Read: Distracted All The Time? Here Are 5 Tricks To Sharpen Focus
Tips For Better Mental Health
- Set the screen time so that you do not give more than 30 minutes for watching videos, movies, etc. in a day. This would keep your mental health secure.
- You should avoid watching videos continuously, keep taking breaks in a while, this will not give you mental stress and eyes will also be healthy.
- To reduce the time spent watching videos on the phone continuously, you can set a timer in the phone, stop watching the video as soon as the time is up.
- Avoid watching negative videos continuously, it has a bad effect on your mind and you may see symptoms of depression.
Binge watch is not a good habit, so instead of watching all the episodes continuously, watch one episode daily, this will keep your physical and mental health good.
Image credits- freepik