Many users like to play in bed on their PS5 or on the Steam Deck. However, researchers regularly warn that such electronic devices have no place in the bedroom.
It is not uncommon to have your TV hanging or standing in the bedroom or at least next to the bed. For many, it is more comfortable to lie in bed rather than make themselves comfortable on the couch in the living room. The Steam Deck has also contributed to many players taking their handheld to bed in the evening.
And numbers show that many people consume entertainment in the bedroom: According to the analysis company Nielsen, the bedroom is the preferred place for the TV (via krcgtv.com): 71% of surveyed households had a TV in the bedroom in 2023.
However, many researchers have long warned that televisions and game consoles should be removed from the bedroom. They have a negative impact on sleep and physical behavior.
Comprehensive health tips can be found at the Federal Ministry of Health (via bundesgesundheitsministerium.de) or in a conversation with your personal family doctor.
The brain thinks the bed is not for sleeping
What is the first problem? Your brain associates activities with the place where they take place. If you regularly fall asleep on the sofa in the living room, your brain connects the sofa with sleeping. This is reported by eachnight.com, with support from a professor of circadian neuroscience.
The same applies to your bed: If you use your TV in bed or play on your Steam Deck, your brain learns that the bed is a place where you are awake and not a place where you should sleep. In the worst case, you sleep much worse or not at all because your brain no longer associates the bed with sleeping.
Researchers also frequently discuss sleep hygiene: This refers to behaviors that promote healthy, restorative sleep. Sleep is particularly important for the regeneration of your body (via barmer.de). Playing on the Steam Deck in bed at night is not part of it.
Blue light can lead to poorer sleep
Another reason that is often mentioned is the influence of blue light. Blue light is important for us as it regulates our wake-sleep rhythm. In technical terms, this is also known as the circadian rhythm or your internal clock (via flexikon.doccheck.com).
However, almost every modern device emits short-wavelength blue light: the lamp on the wall, your monitor on the PC, and even your phone. Researchers report that a lot of blue light, especially in the evening, can lead to sleep problems.
The renowned Harvard Medical School reports, for example, that blue light can negatively affect people and melatonin production. Melatonin is a hormone that regulates the sleep-wake cycle:
- Harvard researchers and their colleagues conducted an experiment in which they compared the effects of a 6.5-hour exposure to blue light with those of green light of comparable brightness. Blue light suppressed melatonin for about twice as long as green light and shifted the day-night rhythm by double (3 hours vs. 1.5 hours).
- In a second study on blue light, researchers from the University of Toronto compared the melatonin levels of individuals exposed to bright indoor light and wearing blue light glasses with those of individuals exposed to normal, dim light without wearing glasses. This also shows that blue light is said to strongly suppress melatonin production.
It is also important to know that entertainment technology has developed significantly in recent years: modern televisions and many phones now have anti-blue light modes that can reduce the impact of blue light. With this, you can at least reduce the effects of blue light on your body, but not completely avoid it.
Gaming and watching TV can lead to less sleep
Some point out that having the TV or Steam Deck by the bed can tempt one to play longer or watch movies instead of actually sleeping. But in the end, it also depends on you how many hours of sleep you really need.
Researchers recommend between 7 and 9 hours of sleep per day. However, how much you really need depends on factors such as your age, whether you are male or female, and various other factors: some people feel fully awake after 7 hours, while others need their 9 hours of sleep (via health.com).
Additionally, the content you consume can also distract or occupy you and may further hinder your relaxation before sleep. But again, everyone is different. Some sleep deeply even after a bloody horror movie, while others lie awake for hours after the spectacle.
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