While binge-watching the newest TV drama may seem like the ideal way to relax, studies have shown that prolonged durations in front of the box increase the likelihood of requiring numerous urinations throughout the night.
Chinese researchers describe their analysis of data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHNES) in the journal Neurourology and Urodynamics. The study focused on answers gathered between 2011 and 2016.
The researchers discovered that 32% of the 13,294 participants, who were at least 20 years old, said they had nocturia—the need to get up many times during the night to go to the toilet.
Researchers found that the risk of developing nocturia was 48% higher in those who watched five or more hours of TV or videos per day than in those who watched less than an hour, after controlling for age, sex, body mass index, ethnicity, education level, and diabetes.
The researchers state, “To the best of our knowledge, this study represents the first exploration of the correlation between TV and/or video viewing time and nocturia.”
The team notes that nothing is known about the exact mechanism via which extended TV watching raises the risk of nocturia.
But they also highlight a number of potential explanations for the correlation, pointing out that long TV watching sessions have been linked to a higher chance of type 2 diabetes, which is a risk factor for nocturia, and that sedentary behaviour is linked to fluid retention in the legs, which may also play a role.
In addition, they note that watching TV may affect the length or quality of sleep and that prolonged TV viewing may cause neurological disorders that could result in bladder dysfunction. “Moreover, TV watching typically aligns with beverage consumption, leading to an elevated fluid intake,” they write.
They add, “And experiencing nocturia is closely linked to a decrease in sleep quality.”
The study’s shortcomings include its reliance on self-reported data, which includes information on TV-watching habits, and its inability to establish cause and effect.
The team nevertheless recommends that medical practitioners inform patients about the connection. They add, “More people becoming aware of this possible health risk encourage people to be more mindful of their TV and/or video time.”
A variety of reasons might be clouding the results of the current study, according to James Catto, a professor of surgery at the University of Sheffield who was not involved in the study. He observed that among them, those who had nocturia were often less mobile, older, and had a higher body mass index than those who did not.
He noted that the present study is unable to address the question, “[Have] they got nocturia because they’re watching TV all day, or they watch the TV all day because of other factors and then they just end going to the toilet more often?”
Catto continued by saying that although nocturia can be brought on by diabetes, cancer, or infections, it is generally not a reason for alarm and is frequent, especially in the elderly.
“See a GP if you’re experiencing discomfort from frequent night time trips; they can run some tests to rule out diabetes,” said Catto. “Most people are not too bothered by going once or twice at night,” he said, nevertheless.
-Raja Aditya