TV in the bedroom – pros and cons

July 6th, 2015

Appliance Questions TV, Audio & Electronics TVs

Because TVs are available in all shapes and sizes, they can be easily set up pretty much anywhere in the home.

As well as the living room, you can place a TV in the man cave, the study or spare room, in the kitchen, or other more unusual places.

source: K.savva.developers on Wikimedia Commons

One popular spot for an extra TV is the bedroom. But is this a good idea?

Let’s take a look at the positives and negatives:

Pro – Super-comfortable!

The only thing better than sitting back and watching TV would have to be doing so while tucked up in bed.

No matter how cold, rainy and miserable it is outside, you can stay warm and cosy while you catch up on shows and movies.

Con – Interferes with sleep

In some home design philosophies, each room should stick strictly to a single purpose – kitchens are for cooking, lounge rooms are for lounging, and bedrooms are for sleeping.

A TV in your bedroom can sometimes disrupt its intended function, as stimulating your brain with TV can lead to problems with your sleep cycle.

Pro – Instant access to the latest updates

We’re living in a hyper-connected world, where it pays to stay instantly up to date with all the latest happenings around the globe.

With a TV in the bedroom, you can check the morning news first thing, as soon as you wake up. And if you’ve chosen a Smart TV, you can instantly access online news and social media apps.

Con – Interferes with learning

Remember when you were a kid and Mum didn’t let you watch TV in the morning before school? It wasn’t just so you’d put your socks on in a timely fashion – it’s because the distraction of TV can make it difficult to concentrate on learning.

Don’t think that this applies only to children, either – we continue to learn throughout our lives, so adults can benefit from this advice as well.

Pro – Fall asleep to your favourite show

While some of us need complete silence to fall asleep, others prefer to be lulled to sleep by a bit of background noise.

You can use your bedroom TV to to play some relaxing white noise, or you can leave it on when you go to bed and drift off to sleep to the sound of infomercials, music videos and old soap opera repeats.

Con – Lowers your resistance to advertising

Advertising is a fact of life in the modern world, so we all develop a degree of mental resistance to marketing messages so that we don’t end up buying All The Things just because a celebrity endorsement tells us to.

This resistance can be lowered when we’re tired, so placing a TV in your bedroom can be a dangerous thing if you want to avoid the temptation to drop big dollars on infomercial products that come with free sets of steak knives.

Pro – Perfect for bed rest

If you’re not feeling well, bed rest is one of the most commonly-recognised techniques to ensure a speedy recovery.

But being all cooped up under the blankets can get a bit dull after a while. With a TV in your bedroom, at least you’ll have easy access to a simple diversion, keeping your mind occupied while your body recovers.

Con – Doesn’t look great

TVs take up space, and there isn’t always room available to comfortably fit one into a bedroom without it sticking out like a sore thumb.

You could use a cabinet or a wall mount to keep the TV out of the way when it’s not in use, but unless you specifically design your bedroom’s layout with this in mind, this option can still be fairly obtrusive.

Pro – Bond with your loved ones

If you’re in a relationship, a TV in the bedroom can help bring you and your partner closer together.

By enjoying entertainment together in your own private space, you can improve the bond you share.

Con – Can REDUCE bonds with loved ones

While it is possible for couples to bond over TV shows together in the comfort of the bedroom, a TV can also serve as a perfect excuse for couple to avoid dealing with shared problems – why not just ignore them and watch TV instead?

Plus, if you consider the bedroom to be a private place for just the two of you, that sense of privcy is reduced somewhat when the whole cast of Friends is invited in…

Your thoughts:

Do you have a TV in the bedroom? Do you keep your screen separate to your sleeping space?

In either case, we’d be eager to hear your thoughts!