post off: do you have a tv in your bedroom?
So I finally purchased Apartment Therapy: The Eight-Step Home Cure, thinking I would be a late joiner to the 2008 Spring Cure. I’m reading through the book slowly, and there’s a lot of discussion of how important it is to make your bedroom feel like a sanctuary. While TVs aren’t explicitly mentioned (well, maybe they are eventually — I haven’t read it that closely yet) there always seem to be to be news stories on how bad it is to have a TV in the bedroom. Of course, not everyone feels this way: witness “Hi-Can, the Ferrari of Beds” — it pretty much is a TV! We don’t currently have a TV in our bedroom, but I confess: I love to watch movies in bed. What about you — TV in the bedroom, or banned from it? –Mary T.
Above image from Apartment Therapy.
March 27th, 2008 at 6:22 am
No, no tv in the bedroom now. BUT I used to. I found that it was very bad for my sleep patterns. I put it in there so that I could listen to the news while getting ready in the morning. However, I also started turning it on at night while I was in bed. My bed would get too warm, I would get achy, I would watch tv WAY too late, and therefore not get enough or good quality sleep. So when we moved the tv was not hooked up in the bedroom, and I intend not to have it there again.
March 27th, 2008 at 6:24 am
We do have a TV in the bedroom, and it’s actually our better TV. However, we just bought a recumbent bike which is now sitting in the middle of the living room, directly across from the TV — so we have to use it to watch TV downstairs!
March 27th, 2008 at 6:27 am
My husband and I are a one TV household, and that TV is in the living room. I had a TV in my room as a teenager, and it distracted me from everything else. After that, I figure if I need to watch TV, I can make the time to sit on the sofa to do it. Other rooms are for other tasks, and that lets me focus on them. It’s worked out just fine so far.
March 27th, 2008 at 7:03 am
We do have a TV in our bedroom, but we only use it for watching the occasional DVD in bed on weekend nights — it’s not even hooked up for cable or TV reception, and that’s by design.
I’m also going to make a fabric “TV cosy” to cover it so I don’t have this big piece of technology staring at me in what should be a restful retreat.
Leah
March 27th, 2008 at 7:05 am
We don’t have a TV at all.
We have a computer that is in the workspace/living room, and when my son or I want to watch a movie, we watch it in there. I also have my road bike on a trainer in that room, so I can pound out a few miles while watching documentaries.
I spend a lot more time working on my art, reading, and talking/playing with my son this way. It’s a lot healthier for him too.
March 27th, 2008 at 7:21 am
Definitely banned ! We only own one TV and it’s in the living room.
March 27th, 2008 at 7:30 am
I never had a TV in my bedroom growing up, but in college I did when I had roommates. For 5 years after college I went back to not having a TV in the bedroom — until I moved in with my fiance. He always had a TV in his bedroom and was insistent that we have one in ours. So I gave in. However, we NEVER watch TV in the bedroom now. Not sure if it’s because we’re too tired to watch by the time we crawl into bed or because we have a MUCH nicer TV in the living room that makes the whole experience more enjoyable. Probably the latter
March 27th, 2008 at 7:59 am
We don’t have a t.v. in the bedroom. However, we have put the laptop on a table in there for rainy Saturday movie watching. Which was quite nice.
March 27th, 2008 at 7:59 am
No TV in the house, just a computer for occassional DVD’s.
The average American watched 4 hours of TV a day. I don;t know when I’d hav time to do that….
March 27th, 2008 at 8:10 am
My DH insists that we have a TV in the bedroom because he likes to watch the news in the morning while getting ready for work and before going to bed at night. So we made a compromise. The TV is only a 9 inch one and it’s great for watching news in the morning but horrible for watching a movie. (and it only cost us $49 when we bought it 3 years ago.
March 27th, 2008 at 9:40 am
Nope, and don’t miss it either. ; )
March 27th, 2008 at 9:52 am
No TV in the bedroom. I like designating the living room as the more ‘active’ room and the bedroom as a ‘quiet’ place — for sleeping and reading.
March 27th, 2008 at 10:21 am
We have one, but it’s really only used for me to watch SNL on Saturday night (I go to bed since I know I’ll be asleep in short order, anyway). I wish I could hide it someplace for all other times, but such is life.
My bedroom would by far more of a sanctuary if I could just keep it clean. I put clothes down everywhere
March 27th, 2008 at 1:50 pm
TV is definitely banned from the bedroom. My philosophy has always been that the bedroom is for sleepin’ and lovin’.
March 27th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
I also do not have a TV in my bedroom (or guestroom or study). The TV is in the living room. People like to watch movies in bed? I have a sectional in my living room, so I sprawl out all I want in front of my plasma screen, kitty at my side, and enjoy, a-la-in-bed!
March 27th, 2008 at 3:46 pm
No TV in the bedroom. It’s bad for my sleep. Plus, thankfully, our bedroom isn’t wired for cable.
We have a laptop, though, and can watch dvds and TV on line if absolutely necessary….
March 27th, 2008 at 4:01 pm
No TV in the bedroom for me! I’ll watch the occasional DVD on my laptop when I’m sick in bed, but that’s about it. Don’t know if not having a TV helps, but I love my bedroom and always sleep quite soundly.
March 27th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
No bedroom TV here either - in fact I made a conscious effort to have absolutely no electronics in my bedroom at all, not even an alarm clock. (although I admit I occasionally bring in my cell phone to act as an alarm)
But I know lots of people who do, and I’d guess that a good majority of Americans do (of course a good number of Americans also have trouble sleeping too).
It’s interesting that most of the comments here are from people that don’t have one either. Are people with TVs in their bedrooms less likely to read blogs? Or to comment on blogs?
March 27th, 2008 at 5:08 pm
Sure do. A little 13″ one. No other television in the house but that.
March 27th, 2008 at 8:39 pm
Our one TV is in the bedroom. We’d never had one there before, but when we were remodeling our downstairs we got hooked. The fact is, we like to watch TV and we’re gonna do it somewhere; I like not falling asleep on the couch and then having to wake up and stumble upstairs, and I like how it causes us to use the downstairs for reading, listening to music, entertaining, etc.
March 27th, 2008 at 8:54 pm
I actually just removed my t.v. from my bedroom because I wasn’t using it at all! I used to when I had a roommate but now that I live alone, I don’t even need it…I listen to music a lot more than I watch t.v. now anyhow.
March 28th, 2008 at 8:20 am
I live in a studio apartment, so yes, there is a tv in my bedroom. I’m lucky enough to be able to divide my space, however, and my tv swivels, so I can watch easily in either space. I only watch tv in bed, though, when I’m exhausted and really want to stretch out and zone out. Other than that, the tv is in the “living room” mode. I love that my tv swivels, though, so I have options.
March 28th, 2008 at 10:46 am
No TV in the bedrooms, and no TV in the living room. My husband did put a tiny (8′ by 10′ with 7′ ceilings) theater room in the basement for movie nights and the kids Wii, but no cable hook-up. I do use the Lappy for the occasional movie in bed, but hubby is afraid too many movies will ruin it. Hmmm, I think he is trying to make a case for a TV in the bedroom. Sly dog.
March 29th, 2008 at 8:45 pm
We just have one TV in the living room but we do like to watch movies in bed, we just do so on a laptop which we put on a big book at the end of the bed.
March 31st, 2008 at 6:01 am
[...] Most of you ban the TV from the bedroom. While most of you don’t like a TV in the bedroom, some of you let in the laptop for an occasional DVD. It was Ron’s comment, though, that [...]
April 2nd, 2008 at 4:24 pm
I DO have a small tv in the bedroom, and I like it. I just can’t sit in silence and turn off at the end of the day, life is just to busy. I do have a timer on it, so I can set it to turn off on its own in 15 minutes.
April 4th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
My husband accidentally locked me in our bedroom for 7 hours. From there on out I’ve kept my cell phone in our bedroom.
I was also glad there was a TV in there, so I wasn’t too bored.
Normally we only watch the TV in the bedroom on weekends and no more than like a half hour before sleeping.
Also good for Baseball and Football season, I usually end up in the bedroom.
While he gets the HDTV in the living room.
April 4th, 2008 at 6:15 pm
No way! Watching tv is certainly relaxing and entertaining, but I firmly believe it should be separated from your sleeping zone. I love taking a load off and zoning out, but that’s exactly what tv is (to me)…zoning out. Zoning out has its time and place, but too much of it makes me feel kind of useless. I like turning it off and moving into a whole new room, tv free, to go to bed and actually sit with my thoughts.
April 7th, 2008 at 5:00 am
[...] 1. Here’s one good reason to have a TV and other electronics in your bedroom. Michele shares this alarming story: “My husband accidentally locked me in our bedroom for seven hours. From there on out I’ve kept my cell phone in our bedroom. I was also glad there was a TV in there, so I wasn’t too bored.” Wow! Gotta admit, we never thought of that one. [...]
April 15th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
We used to have a tv in the bedroom; but I only watched movies in bed. I loved it… Until the TV in the living area was hooked up with HD/Blu ray player/good sound system. No tv in the bedroom anymore :)… Now we have a sofa bed. LOL
I hope to try out your idea of hanging extra long curtains from the ceiling… (THANK YOU!) I need 11 ft. curtains to go 11-12 feet across… And of course, I’m working on a budget.