{"id":18488,"date":"2020-03-16T15:51:49","date_gmt":"2020-03-16T15:51:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/pegasus\/?p=18488&post_type=story"},"modified":"2020-03-30T16:09:33","modified_gmt":"2020-03-30T16:09:33","slug":"the-dangers-of-binge-watching","status":"publish","type":"story","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/pegasus\/the-dangers-of-binge-watching\/","title":{"rendered":"The Dangers of Binge-Watching"},"content":{"rendered":"

Spring 2020 | By Nicole Dudenhoefer\u00a0\u201917<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

[sidebar background=”#AF262B” position=”right” content_align=”left” class=”col-md-4″]<\/p>\n

REDUCING RISKS:<\/p>\n

\"Exercise\"<\/p>\n

PRIORITIZE STAYING ACTIVE<\/p>\n

Although exercise can\u2019t\u00a0completely undo the effects\u00a0of prolonged sitting, making sure you get\u00a0moderate to rigorous physical activity each\u00a0day can help. The Mayo Clinic suggests\u00a0getting 30 minutes of exercise a day, but\u00a0for serious binge-watchers Garcia suggests\u00a0aiming for up to 60 minutes. You can even\u00a0watch a few episodes while breaking a\u00a0sweat on the treadmill, elliptical trainer or\u00a0stair-stepper.<\/p>\n

\"Exercise\"<\/p>\n

SWITCH UP THE SNACKS<\/p>\n

Eating and watching TV often\u00a0happen together. Swap out\u00a0unhealthy, processed snacks\u00a0like chips, buttery popcorn and sweets for\u00a0fresh fruits, vegetables or nuts. Studies also\u00a0show watching TV while you eat can lead\u00a0to binge-eating, so try to stick to a certain\u00a0calorie limit, be more mindful of what you\u00a0consume or even cut out snacks.<\/p>\n

\"Exercise\"<\/p>\n

REPROGRAM YOUR
\nTV SCHEDULE<\/p>\n

Aside from keeping your\u00a0daily sedentary TV time\u00a0below two hours, Garcia\u00a0emphasizes taking a break at least every\u00a060 minutes. While it\u2019s tempting to end a\u00a0long day with back-to-back episodes of your favorite show, Garcia says watching\u00a0TV close to bedtime can disrupt your\u00a0sleep pattern, which also plays a factor in\u00a0cardiovascular health.<\/p>\n

[\/sidebar]<\/p>\n

In a time when streaming platforms such as\u00a0Netflix and Hulu reign supreme, most of us are\u00a0familiar with the delightful feeling when a new\u00a0season of our favorite show drops. We curl up, grab\u00a0some snacks and binge-watch our way through\u00a0hours of entertainment until we\u2019re left longing for\u00a0more. And while we are getting more, it\u2019s leaving\u00a0us less healthy.<\/p>\n

Regularly spending four or more hours a day\u00a0watching television can increase the risk of\u00a0cardiovascular disease or early death by 50 percent,\u00a0according to an American Heart Association (AHA)\u00a0study led by UCF Assistant Professor Jeanette\u00a0Garcia.<\/p>\n

The study followed more than 3,500 black\u00a0residents of Jackson, Mississippi, for about 8.5 years.\u00a0Nearly 44 percent of black men and 48 percent of\u00a0black women living in the United States have some\u00a0form of cardiovascular disease, according to the\u00a0Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.<\/p>\n

Although the study focused on a specific\u00a0demographic, Garcia says the findings provide\u00a0benefits for any population since heart disease\u00a0is the leading cause of death for Americans of\u00a0every background.<\/p>\n

More people are also living increasingly sedentary\u00a0lifestyles. In 2018, the AHA found an 83 percent\u00a0increase in desk jobs since 1950, with those who work\u00a0in offices spending more than 89 percent of their\u00a0time sitting. On top of that, there\u2019s also an increase\u00a0in commute times and accessibility to streaming\u00a0services.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of the questions our researcher had were, \u2018Is\u00a0all sedentary behavior created equal? Is sitting during\u00a0a workday worse than watching television?\u2019 \u201d Garcia\u00a0says. \u201cThe answer is no \u2014 there are more harmful\u00a0effects from sitting and watching TV.\u201d<\/p>\n

While most office workers spend their day at their\u00a0desk, they often have interruptions, leading them to\u00a0walk more often than the average television watcher.\u00a0No matter how small, each movement matters.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven sitting for just one prolonged period of time,\u00a0you\u2019re still going to notice things like your muscles\u00a0getting tight,\u201d Garcia says. \u201cMovement or exercise\u00a0creates an insulin-like effect where your glucose\u00a0uptake is increased. When you\u2019re sitting for a long\u00a0period of time, very little uptake happens. That\u2019s\u00a0why there\u2019s also a risk for Type 2 diabetes with\u00a0prolonged sitting.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of times we focus on physical activity and emphasize getting a certain amount of exercise, but I think it\u2019s easier to focus on decreasing or breaking up sedentary behavior instead,\u201d Garcia says.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As alarming as the findings in Garcia\u2019s study are,\u00a0it doesn\u2019t mean you have to give up TV watching\u00a0altogether. The risks are significantly lower if\u00a0you watch less than two hours of TV a day and\u00a0take breaks.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of times we focus on physical activity and\u00a0emphasize getting a certain amount of exercise, but I\u00a0think it\u2019s easier to focus on decreasing or breaking up\u00a0sedentary behavior instead,\u201d Garcia says. \u201cGoing for\u00a0a run can be intimidating for some people, so I think\u00a0it\u2019s more manageable for some people to stand up,\u00a0stretch or take walks.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":19432,"template":"","categories":[],"tags":[1447],"class_list":["post-18488","story","type-story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-jeanette-garcia","issues-1462","issues-spring-2020"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Dangers of Binge-Watching TV, Movies and Streaming Services<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A study led by a UCF Assistant Professor Jeanette\u00a0Garcia has found binge-watching could be deadly, but there are some things you can do to mitigate risks.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, 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