10 Reasons to Ban TV From the Bedroom

According to the American Time Use Survey 2014, administered by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average American watches nearly three hours of television daily. Time can pass you by very quickly when your eyes are glued to the screen, and those three hours a day add up very quickly, amounting to over 40 straight days per year spent watching television. Perhaps you're not willing to go without your favorite shows, but here are 10 reasons your health and your love life can benefit from keeping television out of the bedroom.

10 Good Things That Will Happen When You Stop Watching TV in the Bedroom

1. You'll save money.

This is especially true if you give up your cable or satellite service altogether. In the past five years, the average cost of cable television service has skyrocketed by almost 40 percent and only continues to grow. Plus, studies show that tired consumers are more susceptible to advertising. Your late-night channel browsing could lead to more impulse purchases at the hands of television ads.

2. You'll reduce your risk of eye strain.

Television screens, along with phone and tablet screens, can cause eye strain when you look at them for too long. Eye strain can cause headaches, including migraine headaches. Do your ocular health a favor by ditching your bedroom TV.

3. You'll get better sleep.

Having a TV available for viewing right from your bed provides a huge temptation to stay up later than you should. Additionally, the blue light that radiates from your TV screen prevents your body from secreting melatonin, which will make it difficult for you to fall asleep and sleep restfully.

4. You'll use less electricity.

Electronics continue to draw electricity from outlets even after you power them off. This is called standby power, and it can account for up to 10 percent of your electricity bill. With one less television in the house, you can conserve energy.

5. You'll connect better with your partner.

10 Reasons to Ban TV From the Bedroom When you remove the television from your bedroom, late evenings will be full of conversation and connection, rather than zoning out in front of a screen.

6. You'll be less sedentary.

Watching television is a sedentary activity. Sitting doing nothing like this for multiple hours a day is bad for your health. A sedentary lifestyle is linked to an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer and obesity.

7. You'll be more productive.

Instead of watching hours of TV just because you're bored, you'll be more likely to get things done if you don't have a TV in the bedroom. Your career, home projects, parenting and hobbies will all benefit from less TV viewing.

8. You'll keep your mind sharp.

There is a proven correlation between watching a lot of television and performing worse on cognitive tests. Researchers examined data from over 3,200 adults, collected over a period of 25 years. At the end of the 25 years, the participants completed three different cognitive tests. Those who watched more television scored worse on two out of the three tests, suggesting that they perform more poorly when it comes to thinking quickly and making decisions. Instead of watching TV, you can spend your time on activities that keep your mind active, such as reading, solving puzzle games, or creating works of art.

9. You'll be in a better mood.

Some research suggests that watching television for prolonged periods of time is related to depression and feelings of loneliness, although it's not known if depression leads to binge-watching television, or if binge-watching television causes depression, or if it is a combination of the two. Nevertheless, spending countless hours watching television does nothing good for your psychological well-being.

10. You'll have a better sex life.

A team of psychologists surveyed over 500 couples about their television habits and their sex life. The researchers found that those who did not keep a television in their bedroom had sex twice as often as those who did. Television is simply a distraction from marital intimacy, and it does nothing for setting the mood or sparking your libido. Save your love life by getting rid of your TV in the bedroom.