8 harmful effects of watching TV
According to the results of recent studies, the average inhabitant of the Earth spends about 3 hours a day watching TV. In a lifetime, TV takes more than 9 years from everyone. Considering that a large part of the information obtained in this way is irrelevant, it is difficult to imagine a more useless occupation. But that's not all: sitting in front of a blue screen is not only counterproductive, but also unsafe.
We will acquaint readers with the harmful consequences of watching TV programs.
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Increased blood pressure
When changing an old TV to a new one, Russians often choose the widest possible screen. As a result, they overstrain their eyes when watching TV, since the size of the living quarters does not allow the viewer to be at a safe distance from the screen.
Too large a screen and too long time in front of the screen cause permanent eye strain. This situation is fraught with an increase in blood pressure. Scientists have found that every hour of sitting in front of the TV increases the risk of developing cardiovascular disease by 7%. Those who like to spend 4 hours a day at this lesson die three times more often from such ailments.
Increased nervousness
It's no secret that many TV shows are replete with negativity. Lovely and kind films, the viewing of which helps to relax, are shown at the most inconvenient time of the day (early in the morning or late at night), and prime time is given to disturbing news programs, scandalous talk shows and television series that most often do not evoke positive emotions.
The trouble is not that television gives bad news - a person must know what is happening in the world. The negative effect on the nervous system is due not so much to the factual side of the information received, as to the aggressive way of presenting it and the obvious predominance of alarming interpretations. People who watch TV programs for hours develop increased nervousness and suspicion. An uncontrollable fear of future troubles often leads to depressive states.
Decreased sexual function in men
Long-term television viewing is dangerous for male sexual function. It reduces testosterone production and negatively affects sperm quantity and quality.
Initially, scientists believed that the main cause of trouble in this case is physical inactivity, which is widespread among lovers of long TV sessions. However, it turned out that this is not the case: working at a computer reduces male sexual function to a much lesser extent. For example, among the representatives of the stronger sex, who spend several hours a day in front of the TV, the number of sperm cells in the ejaculate was 30% lower than among their peers who prefer computer games, reading books or other types of sedentary rest.
Decreased brain activity
Regular long-term viewing of television programs inhibits the activity of the brain. The fact is that the content of the programs, with rare exceptions, is a kind of intellectual analogue of fast food. Unlike the text of a book or the storyline of a good film, it requires neither analysis, nor active empathy, nor self-assessment.
The constant consumption of this kind of mental gum is bad for memory, quick wits and the ability to make quick decisions.
Development of hyperactivity in children
Children and adolescents suffer from television addiction much more than adults. The scale of values is distorted among teenagers: on the one hand, scenes of violence begin to be perceived as something familiar and not too scary, and on the other, there is a desire to imitate the actions of strong and fair "heroes" who justify their own cruelty by the nobility of goals. As a result, the teenager begins to look at other people's suffering with indifference and learns permissiveness. Parents often do not know how to notice changes of this kind in time and are only amazed at the unjustified aggressiveness of their children.
In toddlers and children of primary school age, regular viewing of television programs provokes the development of hyperactivity and attention deficit disorder. The fact is that events on the TV screen take place at a much faster pace than in life. The child gets used to the perception of the accelerated flow of information and largely loses the ability to concentrate. Scientists have found that even two-year-olds who sit in front of the TV for about 3 hours a day subsequently develop learning and language problems.
Television affects children pathologically not only when they directly watch programs. Children who simply play in the room with the screen turned on also show negative effects. This should be borne in mind by adults accustomed to using the TV in the background.
Increased risk of malignant neoplasms
German scientists have found that every extra hour in front of the TV increases the likelihood of developing cancer by 9%. People at risk of colon cancer are especially at risk. For women, constant television viewing increases the risk of endometrial cancer.
Insomnia
The number of people who have taught themselves to fall asleep under the TV is very large. Each of them seriously risks their health. First, the program that a person watches before going to bed does not always have a calming content. This means that there is a possibility that the psyche will become overexcited and it will become more difficult to fall asleep. Secondly, watching TV while lying down can overstrain the muscles of the neck and back, which will not have the best effect on the quality of a night's rest. And thirdly, the very glow of the blue screen, as it turned out, does not help, but interferes with falling asleep. If, nevertheless, it is possible to disconnect while the TV is on, as a rule, the phases of sleep go astray, and in the morning a person gets up tired and irritated.
Overeating and drinking alcohol
It has long been noticed that people who eat while sitting in front of the TV overeat. The reason here is the receipt of a large amount of negative information and the development of anxiety, which is easiest to reduce by urgently eating something tasty. Often in the role of "tasty" products are not the most useful for the figure: chips, snacks, crackers, sweets, popcorn, fast food and beer.
In addition, research results have shown that food scenes that are shown on the screen provoke viewers to eat and drink alcohol. Considering that grocery consumption is included not only in movies, but also in regularly recurring commercials, it's no surprise that many TV viewers quickly gain weight.
Like other achievements of civilization, television is not safe. If you do not have the opportunity or desire to give up watching programs completely, you should limit this activity to 1.5-2 hours a day and protect children and adolescents from it as much as possible. This is the only way to protect the physical and mental health of your loved ones.
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Maria Kulkes Medical journalist About the author
Education: First Moscow State Medical University named after I. M. Sechenov, specialty "General Medicine".
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