Ever wondered what could be the reparation of sitting in front of the television and flipping between channels for hours? With so many general entertainment channels (GEC’s) to choose from, the general population is spoilt for choice. From the young to the old, all are addicted to the idiot box. Most of the people take pride in the fact that they are couch potatoes without realizing the long term effects of flipping channels for hours. This popularity is also due to the fact that watching television is entertaining and the easiest way of passing time, with minimum effort. A few decades back, there were no remote controls due to which people were compelled to move a little in order to change channels and control volume. With the advent of remote control, even this restricted movement was done away with. However, this sedentary life style has resulted in a rise in the cases of diabetes, obesity and insomnia

Television can get make you obese

Watching television requires minimum activity where the only part of your anatomy that gets an exercise is your thumb. Also, it’s really funny how people tend to dig into a pack of potato chips while watching television. Some people sit in the same place for hours with occasional visits to the toilet. Sitting in one place with limited movements encourages the body to save the excess fat due to which calories pile up. This has caused an increase in the obesity level in the general population. As per statistics, for every two hours that an American spends watching television, they increase their risk of suffering from obesity by 23 %. While just an hour of brisk walking decreases the risk by 24 %.

Television can cause diabetes

Diabetes is also related to obesity. People who lead a sedentary life style are more prone to diabetes. It is estimated that by the year 2034, the number of diabetic cases in the US will double and the medical expenditure of dealing with this disease will triple. This will put a strain on the US health system which in turn affects Medicare and other government healthcare programs. A major chunk of these diabetic patients are avid television watchers. As per statistics, just two hours in front of the television box increases the chances of having diabetes by 14 percent. On the other hand, just an hour of brisk walking reduces the chances of having diabetes by 34 %.

Television and Insomnia

People who are chronic addicts to television complain of lack of sleep or disturbed sleep. Studies show that regular television viewing can block the production of melatonin which is a sleep hormone. This hormone is produced around 9 pm which helps to induce sleep. Watching television can deprive a person of their sleep and can also affect the alertness of children. It was observed that when children stopped watching television, there was 30 % increase in the level of melatonin. Excess television can also hamper the intellect of the child.

To stay healthy, it’s important to avoid excess television and be more involved with outdoor activity.

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