Does Watching Television Affect Your Brain and Overall Health

Do you wish you could have more time in a day to fit in a lot more things?

What you might fail to realize is you may be doing unproductive things that consume your time instead of investing your time in other more valuable things.

If you ever sit and calculate the amount of time you spend watching videos, TV shows, and movies on the television or your phone, you will realize that it adds up to a very big number.

Many people all around the world have television sets in their homes and some people even have more than one. (1)

Effects of Watching Television on the Brain

Just when you think that watching television cannot harm you any further, it has a negative impact on brain health.

According to the concept of neuroplasticity, your brain adapts to every environment you spend time in. (2) So, if you invest your time watching shows that are about murders, criminals, adultery, and other negative aspects of human behavior, your brain may end up incorporating it into your own character.

As you get more familiar with negative behavior, your chances of becoming sensitive to them decrease and you’re more prone to showing the same negative actions. (3)

Effects of Excessive TV Watching on Health

Statistical studies show that a lot of health issues are related to television watching if done in excess. In fact, for every hour of television watching, your life expectancy may decrease by a few minutes. Watching TV for hours a day will take away years from your life.

If you are still wondering why watching television can be unhealthy, it is because staying glued to your screen makes you sit for extended hours, causing you to lead a very sedentary lifestyle with very little to no exercise. This can lead to being overweight and obese. (4)

Also, when you’re watching TV, it is so easy to have bad posture, which can be due to a lack of back support, which can bring about backaches and other postural issues.

It is also a well-known fact that watching TV can make you hungry very easily, which is why you will overeat and are more likely to eat junk or unhealthy food. This will impact your blood sugar level and increase your risk of diabetes. (5)

Average Screen Time

On average, a person spends around 5 hours looking at the television or watching videos on their smartphone. This number has not gotten higher. In fact, people’s watching time has only increased with time.

If you keep adding these numbers you will realize that people spend more than 30,000 hours of their life looking at a television. This means that you waste around 4 years of your life with your eyes glued to your screens. (6)

All this time could have been spent on other important things that include:

Getting Addicted to Television

It is no surprise that children spend a lot of time in school, but what is noteworthy is that they spend more time watching television or checking their phones. This can lead to the development of violent behavior and other negative characteristics.

Furthermore, this habit affects children’s relationships with their parents and friends because they spend less time with them.

It has been observed that children prefer to watch television over spending time with their parents. This can be an addiction, which is very harmful to their health and must be paid attention to. (7)

Most-Asked Questions

How can I keep a tab on my kid’s media use?

You can start by setting limits on your kids to make sure they do not spend a lot of time glued to the screen. It is also important to monitor what your child is watching; encourage them to watch educational stuff with positive themes.

Can watching too much TV affect my sleep?

Watching a lot of television, especially at night, can result in irregular sleeping patterns and also having dreams and nightmares that are not very good for your mental health.

What are some TV rules I should set in my household?

It is always important to have rules to encourage healthy living. When it comes to viewing television, here are some things you should keep in mind:

1. Discourage watching television while eating because this can lead to overeating.
2. Never let the television run in the background, and make sure it is off when no one is watching it.
3. Do not allow your child or any minor to watch television unsupervised because they can end up watching something that is not good for their age group.
4. Try not to have a television in every room because this can encourage increased screen time.

Final Word

It is important that you invest your time in the right places and not do anything in excess because it can lead to addiction and negative issues. Television watching promotes a sedentary lifestyle and does not stimulate your brain.

You should instead invest your time in something healthier: exercising, taking time out for your hobbies, spending time with your loved ones, reading a book, and doing crosswords. Playing an instrument or an outdoor game is a good option as well.

If you have children, make sure they do not get addicted to screens from a young age and they spend their time doing healthy activities.