I had a pretty average day for myself, I came home from work, went to a yoga class, made a fresh healthy dinner and sat down to relax.  I was feeling great, it was a nice day and things had been moving smoothly.  I decided to turn on the TV and as the night went on, I noticed my mood shifting.  I went from feeling grateful, accomplished and satisfied to feeling anxious, angry and irritable.  I decided to call it a night at my normal hour and laid around for what seemed like an hour or so, tossing and turning, fighting my racing thoughts of the stories and reasons of why I was feeling angry.

I woke up the next morning and had completely blown past my morning routine of practicing gratefulness and meditation.  It wasn’t until I was driving to work, is when it dawned on me that I had gone to bed feeling anxious and woke up feeling the same way, with no reason why.  I started to go back in time, retracing my memory to when my anxious thoughts started and realized it had begun when I started watching TV.

TV can be a great resource to learn and grow from, but it can also be a big time waster, filling your mind with unnecessary information and stress.  I believe it is the type of shows we watch that can create this type of anxiety.  I, embarrassing enough, happened to be watching Teen Mom, which consisted of constant drama and fighting.  I know what your thinking, yes I have guilty pleasures too, such as reality TV and chocolate peanut butter ice cream.

We are all consumed with reality TV, it is hard to get away from.  Even the reality shows that you think are half decent and aren’t afraid to admit you watch like The Deadliest Catch and Bar Rescue contain explosive behavior that sends negativity straight into your living room.  I believe the types of shows we watch can cause stress and anxiety in your life.  When we expose ourselves to that type of energy, especially before we go to bed, it can effect how we sleep and even how we wake up the next day.

How to Tell if What your Watching is Effecting your Sleep and Mood

  1. Notice how your mood is in the morning, are you angry for no reason?
  2. Think of how you went to bed or how you slept.  If you went to bed angry, can you think of why?  Was there anything that happened?
  3. Think of what you did before you went to bed.  Did you watch TV and what shows?
  4. Did anything dramatic or negative happen in the show?  Do you remember a particular fight or feeling during watching the show?

If you aren’t sure and wake up in a bad mood often, try switching up your routine.  If you watch TV at night, try watching something that you normally would find boring such as the History Channel or National Geographic, you may naturally become more relaxed and ultimately sleep better.  Try no TV for one night, see how that effects your sleep and mood the next day.  Most importantly, notice how your sleep and mood is and notice what you are doing and watching the night before.  Notice how you feel during watching a show and after.  Notice how you feel before you lay down for the evening.  We all have our guilty pleasures, but it is important to be aware of how they can effect you and at that point make the choice if it is worth it or not.