Should You Have A TV In Your Bedroom?

 

TV in the bedroom, for many, is an age-old debate. Some people have become reliant on falling asleep with a TV on, while others are lulled to sleep with the added white noise. Than there are those who can’t stand having a TV in the room. Whether for noise, light or the sheer distraction it brings from more important uses of the bedroom.

Regardless of where you fall on this debate spectrum, you may be wondering what the pros and cons are of having a TV in the bedroom. This way you can weigh the benefits and negative aspects of having, or keeping, a television in your room. Keep reading to find out what good and bad can come with this form of technology in your bedroom.

Pros to a TV in the Bedroom

Routines are Relaxing

Having a routine each night can help send signals to your brain that it is time to go to sleep. If you are used to falling asleep with the TV on, it may be very difficult for you to fall asleep without this routine.

Even if you do stay awake a bit longer than you would normally while watching your favorite show, routines can be very difficult to change when they are so close to your bedtime.

Bonding Through TV

If you have a spouse, it can be quite enjoyable to lay down snuggle and watch your favorite show together. The bedroom can be a cozy and relaxing place to do this.

Especially if it is a show that you cannot watch as an entire family. This can be like a mini date night in bed together, which can be great bonding time.

Only Time Available For TV

This is especially true if you are a parent of young children and it is the only time you can watch your shows that would be inappropriate for your kids to see.

However, many of us live very busy lives that leave little time for entertainment. Which can mean the only time you have to enjoy your favorite shows is right before heading off to bed. Making it not only the preferred time to watch TV, but also the only time.

TV is Good Background Noise

Complete silence can be intimidating to a lot of people. We are so used to having music or television playing throughout the day. Then it all gets turned off and suddenly the silence is overwhelming. It also allows for small creaking sounds, the AC turning on, the fridge making ice and so on to distract and even wake you up.

Which is why so many prefer to sleep with white noise machines, music, podcasts, or perhaps even the sound of your favorite show. All used to block out unwanted noises and instead replace it with something calming and familiar.

Drowns Out Busy Minds

When everything is turned off and you are left with zero distractions, this is often when stressful thoughts can creep into your mind. Normally these are worries and stresses that cannot be dealt with within the few minutes before falling asleep.

Which makes these lingering stressful thoughts to be nothing but sleep wreckers. TV can serve as a welcomed distraction from these worries. Giving your mind something else to focus on as you drift off to sleep.

Daytime TV Watching

Just because a TV is in the bedroom doesn’t mean that you only watch it at night. You also get the benefits of watching TV in your room throughout the daytime.

Whether it is a lazy Sunday morning, or while you are folding laundry. It is nice to have the option to watch TV in your bedroom throughout the day as well as in the evenings.

Click HERE to check out some of our favorite smart gadgets for better sleep!

Cons to a TV in the Bedroom

Stimulates Your Brain

If you are using your TV as background noise or passive entertainment as you fall asleep, you may be lowing your sleep quantity and quality. While many shows are relaxing and not highly stimulating overall, it is still too stimulating to fall asleep too.

The lights, sounds, images are like sugar to our brains. We want to soak all of the rush of information. Which can lead to our eyes being glued to the screen even if it is a relaxing show or you have seen it all before. It also keeps your mind active as you fall asleep which delays REM sleep. Making you wake up feeling less rested than if you have fallen asleep without the TV on.

Blue Light at Night

Another reason why the TV is so stimulating to your brain is that it emits blue light. This is a specific kind of light that is similar to natural sunlight. This blue light sends signals to the brain that it is still daylight out. Which keeps your circadian rhythm from switching to nighttime and your body won’t naturally produce melatonin.

Which can lead to you staying awake even if your mind and body are exhausted. This is all due to the fact that your brain is translating the light as it still being day time.

Learn more about how Blue Light Glasses could potentially help you sleep better in our post: Can Blue Light Blocking Glasses Help You Sleep?

Annoying Your Partner

If you sleep with a spouse, and they do not like to fall asleep with the TV on. Then having a TV in the bedroom can lead to a number of disagreements. While you may prefer to have the TV on while you go to sleep, perhaps your partner prefers to talk and catch up on the day before heading off to sleep.

Or perhaps you enjoy falling asleep to the sound of your own thoughts, while your spouse prefers to have some entertainment as they fall asleep. If you do not have a TV in the bedroom at all, this could potentially save on a lot of disagreements.

Struggling to find a mattress that works for you AND your partner? Check out these beds: Best Mattresses for Couples

Covers Up Relationship Issues

For many couples, especially those with children, time right before bed is vital. It is an intimate time to talk, share about your day, reflect on potential strains or issues that need to be hashed out.

When you have a TV in the bedroom and you like to watch it instead of spend time with your partner in the evenings. This can allow you both to skim over or avoid potential pain points in your relationship. Slowly allowing for small issues to get bigger and bigger as you avoid hashing them out.

Of course, if you have more than enough time to talk throughout the day and you have a healthy communication system, having a TV in the bedroom alone should not cause any issues for you.

Less Time for Intimacy

When you have the distraction of having a TV in your bedroom, who has the attention or time for intimacy with your spouse? When jumping into bed together it can be a great time to relieve stress and enjoy each other’s company.

However, if instead you are both sucked into watching HGTV before heading off to sleep. Then it leaves little time or attention for each other. Which can accidentally lead to a lack of sexual activity between the two of you.

You May Also Enjoy: Best Mattress For The Best Sex

Going to Sleep at Different Times

If one part of a couple likes to go to sleep with the TV on and the other does not. You may find that you now are heading off to sleep at different times. This can be very secluding and lowers intimacy and bonding time between the two of you.

While this may work for some couples, others may find that they are missing that special time of drifting off to sleep together too much.

Children with TVs In Their Bedroom

Overall, this is a bad idea. You are instilling a dependency on television to fall asleep at a very young age. Making turning off the TV extremely difficult as an adult. Children’s brains are still developing and they struggle with impulse control and cues for sleep.

Which makes a TV in the bedroom for kids a recipe for disaster. The impulse control creates a lack of ability to monitor or limit their TV time. Even when you remove the remote control from the room, often times a tv can still be turned on by hand.

Secondly, if there is any kind of stimulation, it becomes nearly impossible for a child to fall asleep until they reach the point of completely passing out as their mind and body shuts down. This teaches them that this is the way to fall asleep instead of learning how to properly put themselves to sleep.

We don’t even have enough time in this article to get into the negative affects extensive TV watching has on a developing mind.

Sets a Bad Example for Kids

Our kids often mimic behaviors they see from their parents. Which is why if you fall asleep in front of the TV every night, they will often mimic this behavior. Also, if they see that you have a TV in your room. Then they will want to bring a TV into their room as well.

It is much easier to keep the temptation of having a TV in their room if you also do not have one in yours. Limiting TV to the living room for all family members.

You May Also Enjoy: Create a Bedtime Routine for Kids

Doesn’t Make Great Décor

If you want your bedroom to be a peaceful tranquil place for relaxation and sleep. Then adding a TV into your bedroom is not the best move.

If you follow Feng Shui, you will know that a TV in the bedroom is not a good idea.

In order to create a beautiful room for relaxation, a TV is not only a distraction.

Even when it is off it looks like an unattractive black rectangle. Creating a dark space in the room that does nothing to add to the tranquility of your sleeping space.

Learn more about the benefits of Feng Shui in our post: Guide to Bedroom Feng Shui

Alternative Nighttime Entertainment Options:

• Relaxing music
• Sleep podcasts
• Audiobooks
• Noise machine
• Reading
• Meditation
• Relaxing yoga or stretching
• Give/receive a massage
• Listen to your TV (turn off the screen or put on an eye mask)
• Write in a journal
• Talk to your partner
• Reflect on your day
• Plan for the day ahead
• Spend quality time with your spouse
• Take a soothing bath or shower

 

Curious about Podcasts that are great to fall asleep to? Check out our post: Top Podcasts For Sleep

TV in the Bedroom, is it Worth it?

Overall, we have far more negative points to bring up with TV in the bedroom than we do positive points. Making our cons list quite a bit longer than our pros list. At the end of the day, we would not recommend having the TV on when you are getting ready for bed or as you fall asleep. Which can be easy to do when you keep a TV in the bedroom with you. Perhaps if you have impulse control, you can limit your TV watching in the bedroom solely to the daytime. However, we think if you are considering kicking the television out of the bedroom… Do it! We believe the benefits far outweigh the potential downsides of no longer having a tv in your room.

Though we personally find the cons to outweigh the pros of having a TV in your bedroom, we are curious what you think? Let us know your reasons as to why or why you shouldn’t have a television in your bedroom. Or if you have any tips you can share to boot technology out of the bedroom.