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Binge Watching: A Harmful Habit for PAP-Therapy Patients

 

By Admin

 

The new trend of binge watching is encouraging poor sleep habits, according to reports by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), and it can be especially harmful to those who use PAP-therapy devices to treat sleep apnea. Prolonged television viewing often keeps people up late and reduces the quality of their sleep, potentially causing serious health problems. And with the advent of more versatile CPAP masks with open fields of vision, patients are finding it much easier to engage in these types of routine behaviors before bedtime. The results of the AASM’s Sleep Prioritization Survey for 2019 showed that 88 percent of respondents reported having recently lost sleep due to watching multiple episodes of a TV or video series, and these numbers were high across the age spectrum, with young people (aged 18-44) reporting slightly higher instances of binge watching late at night. Other forms of late-night entertainment include video games, social media, and sports watching. As the AASM point out in their survey results, binging on anything can lead to feelings of guilt, frustration, worry, and most importantly, restlessness and fatigue. But for those with sleep apnea, there is an additional concern. Night binging on entertainment can become an impediment to therapy itself.  

“Number-One Competitor”

When Netflix CEO Reed Hastings remarked on Twitter that sleep was his “greatest enemy,” he may not have expected the backlash he received. Articles by leading sleep-health organizations emphasized the rather unhealthy consequences of such a habit, especially in regard to Doctor Ronald Chervin, the president of the AASM, offered a list of “responsible binge-watching tipsin an attempt to find a healthier middle ground between sensational trends and proper sleep habits. “Responsible binge-watching,” he said, “is a way to balance your personal entertainment with your health and well-being.” While late-night binge-watching habits are on the rise, Doctor Chervin found it promising that the majority of the Sleep Prioritization Survey respondents still ranked sleep as the number-two priority in a list that included “family,” “work,” “exercise,” “nutrition,” and “entertainment.” Entertainment ranked dead last for most respondents, yet the frequency of their binge-watching rates seemed to contradict that assertion. As reported on CNBC.com back in 2017, Netflix shares have continued to rise since the company hit its landmark goal of 100 million subscribers. Since then, Netflix has continued to dominate the video-streaming service industry, amounting to the vast majority of global streaming sales (with Amazon a distant second). While these new viewing formats may be here to stay, Doctor Chervin and the AASM recommend, first and foremost, that nightly limits should be taken seriously.

 

The AASM’s recommendation for adults is seven hours of sleep per night, regardless of what TV shows may be released on any particular day. If you know what time you are planning to wake in the morning, then you also know what time you need to be in bed, without exceptions. Not only should you keep a time limit, Doctor Chervin suggests, but also an episode limit. It’s OK to watch several episodes of a TV show in a single sitting, but within reason. Remaining seated for hours at a time in front of any light-emitting device will eventually cause problems, not just from the light but also from the cognitive arousal that occurs from remaining focused on media technology. Remaining in an upright or seated position can also cause problems. According to a study published in the journal Chest, excess sitting, either for watching TV or other reasons, was associated with poor sleep quality and OSA risk, and may be an important risk factor for other sleep disturbances as well. But this doesn’t mean that watching TV from bed is any better. As noted in the Chest study, television can be a major distraction for PAP therapy routines, especially for new patients. Other recommendations by Doctor Chervin and the AASM include taking periodic breaks, scheduling time specifically for catching up on your favorite shows, and where applicable, using a blue-light filter to reduce exposure. They also recommend turning everything off at least 30 minutes before your scheduled bedtime, but keep in mind that this is a minimum. The more relaxing your bedtime routine is, the better off you will be. The irony is that sleep is essential for health and life enjoyment, so should never be an enemy to entertainment. There is plenty of time in the day for both entertainment and proper sleep.  

The Great Binge Race

In a recent Netflix press release, the company describe binge watchers as “a new type of fan,” and even go so far as to say that binge watching represents “a new status symbol.” The title of the release, “Ready, Set, Binge: More Than 8 Million Viewers 'Binge Race' Their Favorite Series,” seems to describe watching television as if it were a sport. It isn’t enough just to binge watch anymore. You need to “binge race” to be the first to see everything. While the behavior they describe may seem extreme or fanatical, it does coincide with study findings. Prior to the AASM’s Sleep Prioritization Survey, the 2018 Deloitte Survey on Digital Media Trends reported a combined binge-watching total of just over 80 percent (70 percent for adults and 90 percent for millenials). Even with the high number for millenials, this shows a clear upward trajectory in binge-watching behaviors. The Deloitte survey also found that on average, Americans watch nearly 40 hours of television or video programs a week, the equivalent of a full-time occupation. And previous Sleep in America Polls conducted by the National Sleep Foundation have shown rising numbers of media consumption, year after year. Those who identify as binge watchers periodically report more fatigue, more insomnia, and poorer sleep quality, especially during sleep onset, leading researchers to promote intervention strategies for binge watchers in the same way that they address problems with PAP-therapy adherence, using follow-up protocols and public education campaigns to alert viewers about the consequences of excessive viewing and how they can reduce arousal before sleep to improve sleep health and achieve a higher quality of life.  

 

Sources

AASM - Sleep Prioritization Survey Prioritization Results - https://j2vjt3dnbra3ps7ll1clb4q2-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/sleep-prioritization-survey-2019-daily-priorities-results.pdf

AASM Sleep Prioritizatoin Survey Binge Watching Results - https://j2vjt3dnbra3ps7ll1clb4q2-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/sleep-prioritization-survey-2019-binge-watching-results.pdf

AASM Responsible Binge Watching Tips - https://aasm.org/sleep-or-netflix-you-can-have-both-when-you-binge-watch-responsibly/

Chest - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25633255

CNBC.com - https://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/24/netflix-shares-rise-after-video-streamer-hits-100-million-subscriber-milestone.html

Deloitte Survey - https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/about-deloitte/articles/press-releases/digital-media-trends-twelfth-edition.html

Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5529125/

National Sleep Foundation - Sleep in America Polls - https://www.sleepfoundation.org/professionals/sleep-america-polls

Netflix.com - Press Release - https://media.netflix.com/en/press-releases/ready-set-binge-more-than-8-million-viewers-binge-race-their-favorite-series

NPR.org - https://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2018/04/18/603476111/is-netflix-on-its-way-to-world-domination-of-streaming

2011 - Sleepdr.com - https://www.sleepdr.com/the-sleep-blogb/watching-tv-in-bed-the-common-habit-that-spoils-your-sleep/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/netflix/status/854100194098520064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E854100194098520064&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.marketwatch.com%2Fstory%2Fwatching-netflix-at-night-why-you-might-be-sleeping-with-the-enemy-2017-04-18