It turns out staying up way past your bedtime to finish "House of Cards" is actually bad for your health. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) warns that if you skip on sleep to finish your favorite show, you're in danger of suffering deteriorating “mood and cognitive abilities."
According to you AASM, in worst-case scenarios sleep-deprived viewers risk of being “in a workplace accident or drowsy-driving crash."
What to do? According to the organization, it's all about binge-watching "responsibly." Here are some tips on how exactly to do that from the AASM:
- Set an episode limit each night before you begin watching
- Take a break between each episode to get out of the “auto-play” loop
- Download episodes on your smartphone to control how many you watch at once
- Schedule time on the weekend to catch up on your favorite shows
- To minimize the effects of brightly lit screens at night, use screen settings that filter blue light after sunset
- Stream videos to your TV instead of your mobile device at night to reduce exposure to brightly lit, handheld screens
- Avoid using mobile devices while in bed
- Turn off all screens at least 30 minutes before bedtime
Source: AASM