Get All Access for $5/mo

Attention Binge-Watchers: Watching Too Much TV Could Potentially Kill You The next time you marathon-watch 'Orange Is the New Black,' do your body a favor -- get up and shake a leg.

By Kim Lachance Shandrow

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Getty Images | Renold Zergat

Binge-watching may not just be bad for your brain. It may not do a body good either, and now new research suggests it could even kill you.

You might not want to sit down for this, couch potatoes, but Japanese scientists have discovered that sitting on your duff and marathon-watching TV for hours on end can increase your risk of dying from a blood clot to the lungs.

The researchers, hailing from the Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, analyzed the TV viewing routines of some 86,000 people ages 40 to 79, from 1988 to 1990. They then tracked study participants' physical health for 19 years following the TV-watching data collection period.

Related: Binge-Watching Is Our New Normal

Their findings: Participants who zoned out on TV for 2.5 to 4.9 hours per day had a 70 percent higher risk of dying from pulmonary embolism than participants who watched fewer than 2.5 hours per day. That risk increases by 40 percent for each additional two hours of TV watching a day.

Of the total number of participants monitored in the study, 59 died from a pulmonary embolism, though researchers suspect that number would be higher if not for underreporting. The results of the study were published yesterday in the American Heart Association journal Circulation.

A pulmonary embolism can take place when a clot of blood, often originating from the deep veins of the pelvis or legs, gets lodged in your lungs and blocks blood flow to the heart.

"Nowadays, with online video streaming, the term "binge-watching' to describe viewing multiple episodes of television programs in one sitting has become popular," medical doctor and primary study author Toru Shirakawa said in a statement released alongside the findings. "This popularity may reflect a rapidly growing habit."

Related: No Time to Exercise? 3 Reasons Short Workouts Are Better Than Longer Ones

To reduce your risk while staring at the boob tube, the researchers suggest getting up at least once an hour and stretching. "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," additional study author Hiroyasu Iso said.

We're no scientists, but we're guessing you'll further reduce your risk if you put the remote down and head for that thing just beyond your window, that world of wonder known as the Great Outdoors. And, if you must stare down at a screen while you're out there, at least play Pokemon Go. Sure, you'll look like a dork, but at least you'll be moving.

Kim Lachance Shandrow

Former West Coast Editor

Kim Lachance Shandrow is the former West Coast editor at Entrepreneur.com. Previously, she was a commerce columnist at Los Angeles CityBeat, a news producer at MSNBC and KNBC in Los Angeles and a frequent contributor to the Los Angeles Times. She has also written for Government Technology magazine, LA Yoga magazine, the Lowell Sun newspaper, HealthCentral.com, PsychCentral.com and the former U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. C. Everett Coop. Follow her on Twitter at @Lashandrow. You can also follow her on Facebook here

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Business News

These Companies Offer the Best Work-Life Balance, According to Employees

The ranking is based on Glassdoor ratings and reviews.

Productivity

6 Habits That Help Successful People Maximize Their Time

There aren't enough hours in the day, but these tips will make them feel slightly more productive.

Leadership

Why Your AI Strategy Will Fail Without the Right Talent in Place

Using fractional AI experts through specialized platforms allows companies to access top talent cost-effectively, drive innovation and scale agile strategies for growth.

Business News

Here's What the CPI Report Means for Your Wallet, According to JPMorgan and EY Experts

Most experts agree that there will be another rate cut next week.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.