Is It Okay to Fall Asleep in Front of the TV? A Q&A with Jared Minkel, Ph.D.

This article is part of a Q&A series in which a healthcare professional in our community answers your frequently asked questions. Here, we talked to Jared Minkel, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist and sleep specialist who develops digital therapeutics at Twill. Minkel gives us the honest truth about how watching nighttime TV can harm your sleep, and offers tips on what to do instead for better sleep.

We asked: "Is falling asleep in front of the TV okay?"

Jared Minkel, Ph.D.: I get asked this question a lot. Americans love their TV shows, and the way that apps like Netflix and Hulu work, we’re automatically pushed to the next episode again and again. In 2020, 70% of adults ages 30 to 44 and 62% of those 45 to 64 said they binge-watch television. Our televisions are often responsible for keeping us up at night, and some people swear by falling asleep in front of the TV.