May 31, 2017
Recently, the CEO of Netflix claimed the only competition the company faces is sleep. That was disturbing to the sleep experts and physicians at our client, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Already, people put too little priority on sleep and many do not get the seven or more hours per night needed for optimal health. We worked with the AASM to create a statement and tips on how to “binge-watch responsibly,” and distributed them on Tuesday – the same day as the highly-anticipated release of the newest season of “House of Cards.”The tips for maximizing sleep while still getting caught up on your favorite show included:
- 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
- Use an app to filter blue light after sunset to minimize the alerting effects of brightly lit screens at night,
- 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 a half-hour before bedtime
Many reporters have embraced the warning to not lose sleep in favor of your favorite shows, with stories appearing on Newsweek.com, Vanity Fair.com, Variety.com, Market Watch.com, Pop Culture.com, SFGate.com and Digital Trends.com. Hopefully Netflix subscribers – and those watching Hulu, HBO Go, Amazon Prime and every other streaming service – consider their health the next time they decide to watch “just one more” episode of their favorite show!