We’ve all been in the situation where we have to watch just one more episode of the latest Netflix series. It happens to all of us, we get sucked into a great new show and can’t stop watching until we’ve devoured the whole thing. Many argue that watching television before bed is bad for you, but there are a few positive reasons why watching Netflix late at night is actually helpful.
It distracts you from your phone
Watching Netflix late at night can keep your mind focused on the show or movie in front of you, removing the temptation to sit looking at your phone before you go to bed. An issue with using your phones right before we try to go to sleep is that the blue light emitted from the tiny little screen in the palms of our hands tricks our eyes into thinking it’s still daytime. This keeps us up longer, not to mention how easy it is to just keep scrolling down your social media feed. The TV will typically be farther away from you, meaning the blue light coming from it isn’t likely to wake you back up like your phone’s screen would.
Netflix stops playing
If you were to just watch regular television late at night it will keep playing all night, disrupting your sleep. Disrupted sleep means that when you wake up, it’s less likely you’ll feel refreshed and then the rest of your day will be a drag. Not only will your day be a drag but you’ll be far less efficient if you’re at work or school, but Netflix’s “Are you still watching?” message actually prevents this. If you fall asleep watching Netflix it’ll stop playing after a while, so your sleep won’t be interrupted. Some people struggle to fall asleep without the TV on, so having Netflix on means you can get to sleep fine and stay asleep when it stops playing.
Binging is good!
Some studies have shown that binge watching TV shows can actually make you a bit smarter. The narratives in our favorite Netflix shows are becoming more and more complex which means we have to juggle more storylines and characters in our head to keep track of everything. So you might have spent the day at work not feeling as though you were using your brain much, but squeezing in some Netflix, even late at night, can help improve your brain activity. Watching Netflix, or TV before you go to sleep can help reduce stress, which is a major contributing factor to those who struggle with insomnia. Seeing TV viewing as a pleasure rather than a guilty pleasure can help us feel better about the whole experience, reducing stress which will help us sleep better at night.
Many people advise against watching television before going to bed as it can keep you awake or disrupt your sleep. Watching Netflix late at night can help you fall asleep while not disrupting your sleeping pattern like regular TV.
