Kids Who Watch Too Much TV Have High Blood Pressure
Posted by: Justine Fields
Filed in:
news
4:00PM, Saturday August 8th 2009
Oh, unholy of holies. Too much TV-watching is causing high blood pressure in young children! It seems that kids who spend more hours in front of the screen, even if they’re thin and in shape, have significantly higher diastolic and systolic blood pressures than those who don’t watch much TV. Joey Eisenmann, the senior author of this research, believes that kids who spend more time in front of the tube end up snacking more, get distressed at some shows, and get less sleep. These poor habits prove that the American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommendation of no more than two hours of television a day for youngsters is right on target. [NY Times]
But I’ve got to wonder, what about adults?
I easily clock in at 3-4 hours of TV a day. Although I exercise regularly and eat a healthy vegetarian diet, shows like “Lost” and “NYC Prep” totally distress me. And I admit that I definitely skip out on sleep to watch whatever is on my DVR. If the TV/blood pressure link carries over to adulthood, I have no clue how I’m going to cut back on my viewing schedule! How can I possibly choose between “Make It Or Break It” and “The Real Housewives of Atlanta”?
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Coral
wrote on August 9 2009 @ 05:57 pm: [report]
I have always had low blood pressure—not too low though. And I never have watched much TV. In fact I don’t know why I own so many TVs. But the snacking part makes sense, added in with the lack of sleep. Because people can look healthy when they’re not, especially if they suffer from insomnia, like I know I do.