Keeping a television out of the bedroom can put the fun back in a couple's nightly routine.
Many people are aware of all the negative effects of having a television in a child's bedroom. Television watching at bedtime interferes with a child's sleep, leading to all kinds of problems. It can cause problems with their health, performance in school, behavior issues and motivation interference. But what happens when a couple has a television in their bedroom? Research shows that a television in the bedroom can put strains on a relationship in several areas.
Insomnia
A television in the bedroom frequently means longer hours watching it and fewer hours sleeping, and the sleep gotten is usually a poorer quality of sleep. The sleep hormone, melatonin, is regulated by blue light. The absence of blue light increases melatonin production, which allows people to fall into a restful and rejuvenating sleep. Exposure to blue light has the opposite effect, decreasing melatonin production and leaving a person alert and awake. Televisions are a source of blue light; thus, having one on in the bedroom will disrupt sleep cycles.
Health Problems
In addition to health issues related to insomnia, couples can suffer from other health problems by keeping a television in the bedroom. Watching too much TV can have a negative effect on a person's eyesight. Snacking while watching TV can have another poor impact on health. Eating late at night produces unburned calories, especially if the snacks are junk food. People who watch a lot of television are also less active physically.
Sex
An Italian study conducted over 500 couples found that having a television in the bedroom had a negative effect on a couple's sex life. Results showed that couples without a TV in the bedroom had sex on the average of twice a week, or eight times per month. A bedroom television cut that number in half, with couples having sex once a week, or four times a month. The decline is even steeper for couples in their fifties or older. The choice of television programming also can have a negative impact on a couple's sex life. Shows that are violent cut couples' desire in half. Reality shows are even more impacting, cutting that desire by a third.
Other Negative Impacts
The television in the bedroom can intrude on a couple's time alone together, reducing talking and communication. It can interfere with not only a couple's physical intimacy, but also their emotional intimacy. There can also be problems when a couple disagrees on the program they are going to watch. And then there is the never-ending debate on who will control the remote.
Tags: television bedroom, blue light, couple life, have negative, having television, melatonin production