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originally posted 8.10.2019
updated 1.5.2021
Are you a binge watcher?
You might be a binge watcher if you sometimes sit down to watch one show and two or three hours later you’re still in front of the TV with your eyes starting to glaze over.
I’d like to say I’m not a binger, that I’m one of those fully disciplined people that can sit down to watch one show only. However, I recently admitted, if only to myself, that I definitely can be easily sucked in to watching two – five episodes of a series in one night, especially at the end of a long day. And particularly when stuck in my house for days on end due to the pandemic. Once I sit down in my comfortable chair, an enormous bag of chips from Costco in one hand and the remote in the other, it’s very hard for me to get up and get moving. My most recent guilty pleasures include Big LIttle Lies and Schitt’s Creek. Have you seen either? If not, please don’t judge me. Both are wonderfully written and acted shows that are incredibly tough to turn off.
It happens to the best of us. Thanks to On Demand, HBO and various other streaming platforms like Netflix, we have access to hundreds of options we can watch in one sitting. A survey from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows the average American spends approximately 2.7 hours watching TV per day, which adds up to almost 20 hours per week in total. In fact, according to a Netflix survey 61 percent of users regularly watch between 2-6 episodes of a show in one sitting. (Note: these stats were compiled before Covid-19, so the numbers are likely much higher now).
How can binging be bad when it feels so good?
Eating is an automatic response to watching a screen for some people. Think about the concession stand at the cinema – movie goers generally buy popcorn and candy as part of the experience, not to satisfy their hunger. The same is true for people watching at home too. One of the problems with this habit is that your attention is on the screen, the plot and the characters in the story, not on what you are eating. It’s easy to go through a large bag of chips by yourself if you are not thinking about what you are putting in your mouth. To make matters worse, when you sit for long stretches your body burns fewer calories, storing the extra as fat.
VISION PROBLEMS
MORE SERIOUS HEALTH PROBLEMS
Sitting for long stretches increases your risk of health problems such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer, even if you also exercise regularly. It’s a good idea to take mini breaks from sitting to stand, stretch and move around. Also, sitting too much and too long increases your chance of getting blood clots in your leg that could go to your lungs and block blood flow, a condition called a pulmonary embolism. Make sure you drink plenty of water, wear loose clothes, and get out of the chair to walk around every hour or so to help avoid this condition.
THE BOTTOM LINE