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Binge-Watching Could Be Bad For Your Health

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- If you are staying up late to binge-watch the new season of "House of Cards" -- you may be putting your health in jeopardy.

"You're not going to perform at your best during the next day you're going to be sleepy, probably grumpy, and of course if you do that repeatedly, you're chronically sleep deprived yourself and that has been shown to have negative health consequences like the risk for obesity increases, hypertension, etc," said Penn Medical Professor Dr. Mathias Basner , MD, PhD, MSc Associate Professor of Sleep and Chronobiology in Psychiatry at University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

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On an earnings call last month Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said the company's number one competitor was -- sleep.

To help you binge-watch responsibly, Dr. Basner has some tips.

"Try not to watch the whole season at a time, try not to interfere with your normal sleep schedule," said Basner.

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It is also recommended that you turn off screens at least 30 minutes before bedtime and avoid using mobile devices while in bed

"What's happening is that the melatonin secretion is being prevented by the bright light exposure, melatonin helps you go to sleep, helps you sleep soundly," said Basner.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends that adults get at least seven hours of sleep nightly.

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