--- title: Binge Watching: How It Affects Your Body description: Almost 70 percent of American TV watchers are binge viewers. Here's how to binge watch without ruining your health canonical: https://time.com/4058662/binge-watching-effects/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-10-07T14:18:41.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:57:37.007Z article:section: Health og:title: This Is Your Body on a Binge Watch og:description: Almost 70 percent of American TV watchers are binge viewers og:url: https://time.com/4058662/binge-watching-effects/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6445d57de5ea8da9/69886690a988ca29af6b4a34/flat-screen-television-monitor.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4700 og:image:height: 2644 og:image:alt: flat-screen-television-monitor og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: This Is Your Body on a Binge Watch twitter:description: Almost 70 percent of American TV watchers are binge viewers twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6445d57de5ea8da9/69886690a988ca29af6b4a34/flat-screen-television-monitor.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # This Is Your Body on a Binge Watch > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Health Matters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Health Matters is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The latest health news and expert advice on living well. Health Matters makes the fast-moving world of health more useful, surprising and human, from the latest science and medical breakthroughs to practical ideas for living better. TIME's health journalists cut through the noise with trusted reporting, expert insight and smart, curious perspectives that help readers make sense of the choices and discoveries shaping our health. 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Health Matters is TIME's daily health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free daily newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ## Video: 5 Reasons TV's Top Shows Are So Addictive [Watch (HLS stream): 5 Reasons TV's Top Shows Are So Addictive](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/2RqNgPrk.m3u8) (2:16)  _Published 2014-01-16. Here's a look at how our favorite TV shows—from "Game of Thrones" to "Scandal" and "Breaking Bad"—keep us coming back for more._ by [Health.com](https://time.com/author/health-com/) ## Health.com Contributor Oct 7, 2015 2:18 PM UTC  Flat screen TV with no signal, noise on screen Flat screen TV with no signal, noise on screen Getty Images by [Health.com](https://time.com/author/health-com/) ## Health.com Contributor Oct 7, 2015 2:18 PM UTC It’s fall, which means it’s time to dive back into all of your favorite shows (or, for many of us, mainlining what we missed this summer.) Almost 70 percent of U.S. TV watchers are binge viewers, according to the accounting firm Deloitte. But all that couch time could be seriously harming our health. A new study in _Diabetologica_ found that for every extra hour of TV we watch a day, our risk of diabetes goes up by 3.4 percent. Still want to get your fill of _Scandal_? Here’s how to avoid the worst body bummers while on a binge. **Your metabolism slows** _The fix:_Hit the gym before you hit the couch. It will ramp up your body’s fat burning and keep you going during a TV marathon. It’s especially good to [lift weights](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20656706,00.html): One study found that women who did just 15 minutes of strength training torched around 100 calories the next day. **You mindlessly snack** _The fix:_ Stock up on [healthy bites](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20778689,00.html) like air-popped popcorn, steamed edamame, or almonds. Measure out a proper portion instead of munching straight from the bag. **You skimp on sleep** _The fix:_Give yourself a strict [bedtime](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20905916,00.html). Make sure you factor in at least an hour away from the alluring glow of the TV or computer to properly wind down before bed—the blue light from the screens interferes with the production of melatonin, the hormone that helps you snooze. [_This article originally appeared on Health.com_](http://news.health.com/2015/09/24/this-is-your-body-when-on-a-binge-watch/?xid=time) _More from Health.com:_ * [10 Signs Your House is Making You Fat](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20857242,00.html?xid=time) * [A Slacker’s Guide to Losing Weight Without Trying](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20814874,00.html?xid=time) * [12 Worst Habits for Your Mental Health](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20866947,00.html?xid=time) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4058662/binge-watching-effects/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4058662/binge-watching-effects/"},"headline":"This Is Your Body on a Binge Watch","datePublished":"2015-10-07T14:18:41.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:57:37.007Z","description":"Almost 70 percent of American TV watchers are binge viewers","url":"https://time.com/4058662/binge-watching-effects/","keywords":["Diet & Nutrition","Television","Public Health","Netflix","Healthcare","binge-watching"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6445d57de5ea8da9/69886690a988ca29af6b4a34/flat-screen-television-monitor.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Health.com","jobTitle":"Contributor","url":"https://time.com/author/health-com/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6445d57de5ea8da9/69886690a988ca29af6b4a34/flat-screen-television-monitor.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"flat-screen-television-monitor","caption":"flat-screen-television-monitor","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/dietnutrition/","name":"Diet & Nutrition"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4058662/binge-watching-effects/","name":"This Is Your Body on a Binge Watch"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"5 Reasons TV's Top Shows Are So Addictive","description":"Here's a look at how our favorite TV shows—from \"Game of Thrones\" to \"Scandal\" and \"Breaking Bad\"—keep us coming back for more.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/2RqNgPrk/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2014-01-16T20:47:22.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/2RqNgPrk.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4058662/binge-watching-effects/","duration":"PT2M16S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4058662/binge-watching-effects/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```