Why You Might Want To Stop Sleeping With Your TV On All Night

Many of us fall asleep with the TV on, even when we don't mean to. There's something about the gently flickering lights and consistent noise that can easily lull a tired person into sleep. But if you've ever woken up the next day with the TV still on and wondered if it would've been better to have turned it off, you're not alone.

Leaving your TV on while you sleep is generally a bad idea for several reasons. The negatives include potentially increasing your energy bill, decreasing the lifespan of your TV, and even reducing your sleep quality and health. In fact, sleeping in artificial light may even sabotage weight loss. However, it's not that black and white. Some people claim they sleep better with the TV on, and the comfort of white noise is part of the equation.

Nonetheless, for most folks, the cons outweigh the pros. That's why we recommend comparing the effects to consider if it's a habit worth leaving in the past. You may also look into setting a timer on your TV, so it turns off automatically after you fall asleep. Netflix even has a smartphone app to help you set up a sleep timer.

Whichever way you lean, it's best to educate yourself on the topic before making a decision. We did a deep dive into the potential effects of leaving the TV on while you sleep to give you the complete picture.

The question is how much could your energy bill increase. The answer depends on the wattage of your TV and amount you pay per Kilowatt-hour (kWh) to your electric company. With these numbers, and the amount of time you spend sleeping, calculating the monthly energy cost of leaving the TV on all night is easy.

To find your TV's wattage, you have several options. You can look on the back of your TV to see if the wattage is labeled, possibly on an Energy Star Rating sticker. If you can't find it on your TV, try a web search of your particular model. The owner's manual should also provide it.

To find how much you pay per kWh, look at your most recent energy bill. The number is usually in the hundreds, but if you can't find it, you can look up your account online or call the company.

Finally, consider how many hours you sleep with the TV on per day and how many days per month. The average person sleeps about eight hours a day, but this varies. With these four numbers, you can calculate your monthly cost by using the U.S. Department of Energy's simple formula. To summarize, the formula is as follows:

[(Wattage of your TV x Hours spent sleeping) ÷ 1000] x (Days per month you sleep with it on) x (Cost per kWh)

Plug in those numbers to find the price you pay each month.

A few decades ago, leaving the TV on for extended periods of time was a huge mistake. Then, most models had LCD screens that could burn out from casting an image for too long. Earlier plasma-screen TVs were even more susceptible. So, if you still have an LCD TV without an LED backlight or a plasma TV, leaving it on while you sleep will likely cause damage to its screen over time.

Nowadays, most TVs come with LED-backlit screens, which don't burn out as easily from extended casting. Thus, you can probably leave your LED TV on the Netflix menu for several hours without worrying about that big red N burning into the middle of your screen. Unfortunately, there's a new risk on the block.

Smart TVs are more affordable than ever, but manufacturers sometimes cut corners to keep those prices low. The most common ailment of smart TVs comes from their weak heat dispersion. Because they have processors and other heat-generating hardware, smart LED TVs can heat up when left on for a long time. This can damage their internal components and greatly reduce their working life. In fact, many experts recommend turning off the TV every few hours to let it cool down.

Studies suggest that the lights from digital screens may negatively impact your sleep quality and, consequently, your health. For instance, the Sleep Foundation has argued that artificial blue light can confuse your circadian rhythm, so staring at your smartphone in bed might cause sleep problems. The same is true of TV screens, though not all emit the same intensity of blue light.

A 2013 study by researchers in Canada, led by the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, suggests that TV screens can also reduce your melatonin production. Melatonin is the hormone that basically tells your brain when it's time to sleep, so leaving the TV on can make it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep.

Sacrificing your sleep quality is a bad idea. Indeed, poor sleep can lead to long-term health problems. According to a 2006 paper by the Institute of Medicine Committee on Sleep Medicine and Research, chronic sleep deprivation can cause an "increased risk of hypertension, diabetes, obesity, depression, heart attack, and stroke." Leaving the TV on while you sleep once in a while probably won't destroy your health, but doing it consistently may be harmful.

That being said, many folks leave the tube on while they sleep because the white noise and familiar comforts of their favorite shows purportedly help them sleep. And sleep aids that work shouldn't be overlooked. Thus, you should weigh the pros, cons, and costs to decide if it's a habit worth ditching.