Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Specialist; USC Professor & Author.
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Netflix biggest competitor is SLEEP!!
Cognizant arousal may get you anxious at the time where you should be gearing down, turning off your electronics, lowering the light and getting ready for sleep. It's easy to get emotionally invested in the characters and the scene you are watching.
Most people who are planning to binge watch weren't planning to binge watch in the first place. If binge watching is keeping you from seeing friends and family, being social or preventing you from getting into nature regularly, you may be facing an addiction.
A binge watching addiction may cause insomnia. Insomnia is know to cause depression and depression is known to cause insomnia. Don't fall victim to this negative cycle by binge watching. If you are going to watch a show, here are some tips to regulate the binge:
- Set a time limit on how many episodes you are going to watch before you start.
- Wait for a 'boring' scene to shut it off so you don't get FOMA (Fear Of Missing Out).
- Turn it off 5 minutes into a new episode so you aren't walking away during a cliff hanger.
- Commit to turning off the show (and stop fiddling with electronics) at least one hour before bed.
- Enjoy your show and live your life