Many people of all ages prefer having the television on while they are winding down for sleep at night, or stay up into the wee hours to watch ther favorite shows. According to SleepFoundation.org surveyed respondents 73.1 % of adults watch tv before bed, and 72.6% of survey respondents watch programming on a television set before bed, as opposed to a phone, laptop, or tablet. It has become a habit for many people to listen to the voices and sounds of the television while drifting off to dreamland. In fact-many cannot or will not fall asleep unless there is some sort of background noise. Many people futilely stay up late for their favorite nightly or weekly aired show, but drift off to sleep while waiting, or while watching. Has television viewing habits changed over the years, and how does this impact sleep?
According to numerous studies, people prefer to fall asleep with a television on in the background. “If you are someone who sleeps with the TV on, you’re not alone. A National Sleep Foundation poll found that 60% of Americans watch TV right before bed, and according to an LG Electronics survey, 61% of Americans fall asleep with the TV on.” (Jun 25, 2020)
Oh Wait let’s not forget television shows can be streamed these days, and watched upon demand wherever and whenever! Streaming can be viewed from any laptop, chrome book, smart tv, or smart phone device. If the control is in the viewer’s fingertips as to what, when, where and if television is being watched, why do people stay up late watching? Television shows and movies are available on demand. That’s how binge-watching came about. All of us have been engrossed in a series with several episodes, each one leaving you on a cliffhanger, just asking to see a little more. Did the dreamy doctor really pass away on this episode? Will the other doctor marry the patient she fell in love with before he dies? With just one click of “next episode” we can find out what will happen next! And we do!
The Silent generation, Baby Boomers, and Generation X recall staying up to watch the ever-changing nightly dialogue of The Johnny Carson show or of The David Letterman shows, which both stopped airing in May of 1992 and 2015 respectively. Are people staying up late to watch television today? Television hosts like Johnny Carson, David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon created comedy and entertainment into the wee hours begging their audiences to stay up late to catch a glimpse.
Do Millennials/Generation Y, Zoomers/Generation Z, or Generation Alpha stay up late to watch an evening television show that changes daily and airs only at certain times of the day? Not exactly. But research has shown that having television streaming available at their fingertips impacts staying up late and their amount of sleep.
“Forty-four percent of 18 to 24-year-olds said they “often” stay up past their bedtime to watch shows, compared with 14% of those 45 and older. And, only 4% of 18 to 24-year-olds have not stayed up to stream a show, while this number jumps to 20% of those 45 or older.”
“It’s no surprise that more than half of survey respondents (58%) also said that they’ve lost sleep to watch a sporting event. Recorded games lack the excitement of the live event, and spoilers run rampant on the internet. Men are more likely than women to lose sleep, with 72% of men admitting to staying up past their bedtime to watch a sporting event.” (SleepFoundation.org)
While many adults of all ages have nighttime television viewing habits, not all have the television on, or any other device upon drifting off to sleep. Many say they still get their seven hours or more of quality sleep per night, with their devices on. The digital age has created more convenience to streaming shows whenever viewers want to watch their favorite shows, no matter the time of day, but it does not seem to affect everyone’s sleep duration.
Resources:
https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-news/watching-tv-before-sleep-most-popular-bedtime-routine
https://sleepdoctor.com/technology/how-binge-watching-streaming-affects-sleep/
