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Americans Losing Sleep Over TV, Study Says

by Caleb Johnson on June 9, 2009 at 05:06 PM

Americans are fighting Mr. Sandman harder than ever in order to stay up and watch television, and according to a new study, this leads to chronic sleep deprivation.

In a survey conducted between 2003 and 2006, researchers at the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) discovered that TV-watching made up almost 50-percent of folks' activities during the two hours before bedtime. This means people are using the boob tube, instead of the clock or their own bodies, to determine when to sleep. Researchers said this trend is potentially leading to people not getting a healthy seven or eight hours of sleep each night.

To combat this, researchers advise less late-night TV watching and to head in to work later in the mornings. Who wouldn't want to go to work later every morning? But, unfortunately, we don't think any boss will buy sleep deprivation as an excuse. Turning off the TV late at night probably isn't a bad idea, though, particularly since sleep deprivation is linked to obesity, illness, and death, according to the AASM.

As is often the American way, folks aren't in any rush to slow down. The study revealed that about 40-percent of Americans are not getting enough shut-eye each night. We here at Switched might do our part and try tuning out a little earlier than usual -- for tonight, at least. [From: Yahoo! News]

Tags: health, sleep, sleep deprivation, SleepDeprivation, study, television, top, tv

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