Is it bad to sleep with the TV on? For most people it is not ideal. A TV left on keeps sending light into the room all night, and studies link light during sleep to weight gain and short-term changes in heart rate and insulin resistance. A sleep timer, the lowest brightness or switching to audio are easy fixes.
Most of the research is about the light a TV gives off. The Sleep Foundation points out that if you doze off with the TV on, it keeps producing artificial light in your bedroom through the night. Closing your eyes is not enough, because eyelids cannot block enough light, and effects on your body clock can happen even with low indoor light.
Two NIH-funded studies help here:
Light or TV on and weight gain. An NIH study of 43,722 women in the Sister Study asked how they slept: in darkness, with a small night light, with light from outside the room, or with a light or TV on in the room. Women who slept with a light or TV on were 17% more likely to gain about 11 pounds (5 kg) or more over five years. A small night light was not linked to weight gain.
One night of light and the body. In a Northwestern Medicine study, sleeping a single night in moderate light (100 lux) instead of dim light (3 lux) raised heart rate during sleep and led to insulin resistance the next morning. The article notes that many people sleep with a lamp on or keep the TV on.
Keep these findings in proportion. The weight study shows a link, not proof that the TV caused the weight gain, and the authors say other factors could explain it. It also included only women. The Northwestern study measured short-term changes in a lab. Neither proves that your TV habit is harming you. Together they suggest that darker nights are the safer choice.
Light. Screens change brightness from scene to scene, and the light reaches you even with your eyes shut.
Sound. TV sound is not steady. Talking, music and sudden noises rise and fall, unlike the even hum of a fan.
Content. A gripping show or the news can keep your mind busy, and autoplay makes "one more episode" easy, which can push your bedtime later.
The NHS lists not watching television or using devices like smartphones right before going to bed among its tips for better sleep. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) suggests limiting bright light in the evening and using your bed only for sleep and sex.
Use the sleep timer. The Sleep Foundation suggests checking whether your TV has a sleep timer so it turns itself off. Start with 30 to 60 minutes.
Turn brightness all the way down. If a TV stays on, the Sleep Foundation says to keep it at the lowest brightness setting. Some TVs also have a picture-off or audio-only mode in their settings.
Keep the volume low and steady. Turn it down to a level you can barely follow.
Pick calm, familiar shows. A show you have seen before is easier to drift off to than a cliffhanger or the news.
Turn off autoplay. This stops the next episode from starting on its own.
Try an eye mask. The Sleep Foundation says a close-fitting eye mask may help if the light still bothers you.
If you keep the TV on for company or to cover silence rather than to watch it, you can keep that comfort without the light:
A podcast or audiobook on a timer, with the screen face down
A fan, or white, pink or brown noise at a low volume (see white noise for sleep)
Soft, familiar music that stops after 30 minutes
Going from TV every night to silence can feel hard. A step-by-step change is easier. This is an example plan only.
Week 1: Keep the TV, but set a 60-minute sleep timer, lowest brightness and autoplay off.
Week 2: Cut the timer to 30 minutes. Try audio-only mode or turn the screen away.
Week 3: Watch your last show on the couch, then go to bed with a podcast or steady sound on a timer.
Week 4: Keep the bedroom TV off. Use a dim, warm lamp for reading or winding down instead.
If your partner wants the TV on, the Sleep Foundation suggests lowest brightness, a sleep timer and an eye mask as a compromise. Its most sure-fire fix is moving the TV out of the bedroom. For more on light, read how to make your bedroom darker.
Some people leave the TV on because they cannot fall asleep otherwise. The NHS suggests seeing a GP if changing your sleep habits has not helped, if you have had trouble sleeping for months, or if it is making daily life hard to cope with. The NHS also advises: do not drive when you feel sleepy.
This is general information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your own situation.
It can. The Sleep Foundation says sleeping with a light on interferes with sleep cycles and causes more broken sleep, and a TV keeps giving off light all night unless a timer turns it off.
A timer is much better than leaving it on all night. Pair it with low brightness, low volume and a calm show.
Often it is habit or comfort. The Sleep Foundation notes that some people want a light on because it eases anxiety. Steady sound or a dim, warm night light can give similar comfort with less light.
For light, yes, as long as the screen is off or face down. Use a timer so it stops after you fall asleep.
If you use the TV for background sound, Sleepward: Bedtime Routine includes white, pink and brown noise with a sleep timer, plus a gradually darkening wind-down screen and an editable evening routine. It is free with optional Pro purchases, has no accounts or ads, and its App Privacy label says Data Not Collected.
Get Sleepward free on the App Store
Sleeping with artificial light at night associated with weight gain in women (NIH news release)
Close the blinds during sleep to protect your health (Northwestern Now)
Light and Sleep: Effects on Sleep Quality (Sleep Foundation)