You fall asleep better with the TV on because its background noise acts as white noise to block disruptive sounds, the familiar content distracts your racing thoughts, and the light and sound provide a comforting, non-threatening environment, helping you transition from a busy day to sleep, though it can interfere with deeper sleep stages.
While many people affected by ADHD feel that TV or electronic device use helps them to settle down in the evening, it turns out that the light from televisions and electronic devices can interfere with the brain's sleep triggers. Turning them off an hour before bedtime helps the brain to begin the sleep process.
Is sleeping with the TV on a trauma response? Yes, sleeping with the TV or background noise on can be a coping mechanism for individuals with trauma. This behavior often stems from hypervigilance, in which the brain remains alert even during rest.
SNOOZING WITH THE TV ON: A Cleveland Clinic psychologist estimates more than half of Americans fall asleep with their TVs on because it's soothing, calming and akin to white noise. But the blue light could disrupt the quality of sleep.
“I know we're not supposed to have our TV on at night, but I think more than half of Americans fall asleep with their TVs on,” said Chivonna Childs, PhD, psychologist for Cleveland Clinic. “It is soothing, it is calming to us, it's almost akin to having white noise.”
The main reasons you may not be able to sleep without the TV on are because you've become psychologically dependent on it, you have anxiety and you find it relaxes you enough to drift off, or the noise of the TV drowns out more disturbing sounds, like traffic.
The 3-2-1 bedtime method is a simple sleep hygiene strategy: stop eating 3 hours before bed, stop working 2 hours before bed, and stop using screens (phones, tablets, TVs) 1 hour before sleep, helping your body transition to rest by reducing stimulants and digestive load for better sleep quality. A more detailed version adds 10 hours (no caffeine) and 0 (no snoozing) for a 10-3-2-1-0 rule.
If you are someone who sleeps with the TV on, you're not alone. A National Sleep Foundation poll found that 60% of Americans watch TV right before bed, and according to an LG Electronics survey, 61% of Americans fall asleep with the TV on.
The five key signs of narcolepsy, often remembered by the acronym CHESS, are Cataplexy (sudden muscle weakness), Hallucinations (vivid dream-like images), Excessive Daytime Sleepiness (EDS), Sleep Paralysis (inability to move when falling asleep or waking), and Sleep Disruption (fragmented nighttime sleep). These symptoms reflect a disruption between wakefulness and REM sleep, with elements of sleep intruding into the waking state.
Sleeping with your TV on helps to provide a sense of comfort, security, and relaxation. However, having TV lights and sounds while sleeping can reduce your sleep quality. To relax before bed, put away screens with blue light and keep your room cool and dark.
7 Clear Signs Your Body Is Releasing Stored Trauma
Overthinking is a coping mechanism that people develop from an early stage in life, typically due to childhood trauma. Experiencing abuse, invalidation, or neglect as a child can push individuals into overthinking as a coping mechanism to have a sense of control and safety.
The ADHD "30% Rule" is a guideline suggesting that executive functions (like self-regulation, planning, and emotional control) in people with ADHD develop about 30% slower than in neurotypical individuals, meaning a 10-year-old might function more like a 7-year-old in these areas, requiring adjusted expectations for maturity, task management, and behavior. It's a tool for caregivers and adults with ADHD to set realistic goals, not a strict scientific law, helping to reduce frustration by matching demands to the person's actual developmental level (executive age) rather than just their chronological age.
Neurodiversity encompasses a spectrum of neurological differences, and it makes sense that across this spectrum, sleep patterns and preferences vary widely, with some individuals preferring weighted blankets, some needing sources of weight, others needing sources of sound (or needing complete silence), some maybe ...
The ADHD "2-Minute Rule" suggests doing any task taking under two minutes immediately to build momentum, but it often backfires by derailing focus due to weak working memory, time blindness, and transition difficulties in people with ADHD. A better approach is to write down these quick tasks on a separate "catch-all" list instead of interrupting your main work, then schedule specific times to review and tackle them, or use a slightly longer timeframe like a 5-minute rule to prevent getting lost down "rabbit holes".
Narcolepsy symptoms usually first occur between age 15 and 30 years. Below are the most common symptoms. You may feel a strong urge to sleep, often followed by a period of sleep. You can't control when you fall asleep.
Decreased serum vitamin B12 levels are independently associated with the development of narcolepsy, which illustrates the complex relationship between vitamin B12 and narcolepsy.
Narcolepsy in pediatric patients is often misdiagnosed as a more common medical condition, such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), epilepsy, depression, syncope, or other sleep disorders.
The 3-2-1 sleep rule is a simple wind-down routine: stop eating and drinking alcohol 3 hours before bed, stop working/mentally stimulating activities 2 hours before, and turn off screens (phones, TVs) 1 hour before sleep, helping you transition to rest by reducing stimulants and preparing your mind and body. It's often part of a larger 10-3-2-1-0 rule, which also adds no caffeine 10 hours prior and no hitting snooze (0) in the morning.
Gen Z stays up late due to a combination of technology (blue light, endless content), significant stress and anxiety (FOMO, financial/global worries), biological shifts (natural teenage circadian rhythm), and "revenge bedtime procrastination," where they sacrifice sleep for personal time, often in bed, scrolling social media. This digital-heavy, high-stress lifestyle creates overstimulation and a misalignment with natural sleep patterns, leading to chronic sleep deprivation, notes the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Health Foundation.
Potential benefits of watching TV in the evening
Immediate relaxation: Some experts say that TV can help you relax and temporarily relieve stress, which might make it easier to fall asleep.
Signs of poor core sleep (deep, restorative sleep) include waking up foggy, daytime fatigue/energy crashes, poor concentration, irritability, frequent illness, memory issues, and mood swings, indicating your brain and body aren't fully repairing and consolidating memories. You might also experience increased sugar cravings, slow muscle recovery, and a weakened immune system.
The 80/20 Rule means that you stick to your healthy, consistent sleep schedule 80% of the time. You then can make exceptions to your schedule 20% of the time. The 80/20 Rule allows you to “live life” and enjoy those special moments with your family.