Science Says Your 'Netflix & Chill' Habit Could Actually Be Killing You

Do you spend hours and hours perusing Netflix, watching TV shows and movies?

Sure, you might think you're doing yourself a favor by keeping occupied with the latest Netflix series, but your binge-watching habits could be detrimental to your health.

According to The Telegraph, countless hours in front of your television could be setting you up for an early death.

As a matter of fact, the report states that your binge-watching habits could increase the risk of dying from a blood clot in your lungs.

From 1988 to 1990, a group of Japanese researchers at Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine explored the TV-watching habits of over 86,000 people aged 40 to 79.

Let's just say if you're watching five or more hours of TV on a daily basis, you're twice as likely to die within the next 19 years. If you're watching TV for less than two and a half hours on a daily basis, consider yourself safe.

Despite the alarming results from the study, the researchers only recorded 59 deaths due to the blood clots out of the 86,000 participants studied.

So, where does this fatal blood clot come from? The condition is called pulmonary embolism.

A blood clot, formed by inactivity, typically begins in the pelvis or leg area before traveling to the lung and becoming lodged in a blood vessel.

In a recent interview, Dr. Toru Shirakawa who helped conduct the study revealed,

Nowadays, with online video streaming, the term 'binge-watching' to describe viewing multiple episodes of television programs in one sitting has become popular. This popularity may reflect a rapidly growing habit.

So, what's the best way to beat the odds? Stand up and take five-minute walks... No, seriously.

One of the lead researchers, Professor Hiroyasu Iso, said,

After an hour or so, stand up, stretch, walk around, or while you're watching TV, tense and relax your leg muscles for five minutes.

Or, just try NOT doing the "Netflix" and stick to the "...and chill" part!

Citations: 'Netflix and chill' could lead to fatal blood clots, study suggests (Telegraph UK)