Watching TV at night makes us depressed: study

Channel surfing after a big day at the office encourages feelings of guilt and anxiety, according to European researchers who said wrapping up the day with meditation or a yoga class is much better for mental health.

The team from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz in Germany and the VU University in Amsterdam asked 471 volunteers how they felt after work or university the previous day and what media they had used.

They found that those who were particularly tired tended to use TV and video games, but said it did not make them feel relaxed or recovered.

They tended to use it to procrastinate from doing things they needed to do, which later led to feelings of guilt and, in turn, made them feel less revitalised.

"Our study … demonstrates that in the real life, the relationship between media use and wellbeing is complicated and that the use of media may conflict with other, less pleasurable but more important duties and goals in everyday life," said study co-author Dr Leonard Reinecke, from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz.

"We are starting to look at media use as a cause of depletion. In times of smartphones and mobile internet, the ubiquitous availability of content and communication often seems to be a burden and a stressor rather than a recovery resource."

This news could be concerning to the 85 percent of Australians who told the Australian Psychological Association that they watch TV to manage stress.

The researchers said that doing meditation, yoga or watching a documentary were better ways to relax.

Dr Craig Hassed, a senior lecturer in General Practice at Monash University told ninemsn that most people have far more screen time than is healthy for mind or body.

"If we're spending too much time in front of the screen it means we are not active and engaged in doing creative things in other ways — it's a very passive state of mind," he said.

"Too much screen time slows down our cognitive performance and increases the risk of dementia in later life."

Dr Hassed said meditation is a great way to put space between the busy working day and the evening.

"It's also important to engage and interact with people," he said.

"Too much television watching can lead to a kind of isolation. It's good to engage with people and have other interests that are creative and interesting."

Dr Hassed said we don't have to ban television altogether, we just need to be discerning about what we watch.

"Watch things you consciously choose, rather than mindlessly going from program to program," he said.

The study was published in the Journal Of Communication.

Author: Kimberly Gillan, Approving editor: Wade O'Leary