We know TV in the bedroom is kind of a contentious issue here on Apartment Therapy. But judging by a small and informal survey of friends and family, there are still many folks who swear by falling alseep to the TV. If you're stuck in a house that's divided on the TV issue, try some of these strategies for sleeping next to a non-TV watcher.
Dim the TV Screen
If it's the light that primarily bugs your partner, try watching TV with a dim screen. You just need to adjust the brightness of the screen in your TV's menu to as low as you can stand it. While it makes for a terrible picture, it might be a great solution—especially for late-night watchers who mainly want the sound.
Grab Wireless Headphones
Speaking of sound, a great way to avoid disturbing your bedmate is to watch TV with a pair of headphones. You can find a pair of wireless TV headphones online or at your local big box electronics retailer. We dig this pair from Sony with a 23' range and auto off feature.
Set a Sleep Timer
If you're the type who likes to fall asleep to the TV, setting the sleep timer is a must. Leave a rubber band wrapped around your remote to remind you to turn on the sleep timer as soon as you turn on the TV each night.
Move the TV
We put this suggestion towards the end because it requires you to re-think the whole layout of your bedroom, but it's a great way to let one partner get their late night TV fix. Move the TV around so it's directly next to the TV junkie's side of the bed. They can watch while laying on their side, and it blocks some of the light and noise from the sleeper.
Watch on a Laptop or Tablet
If moving the television isn't feasable, consider getting your TV fix by watching streaming content or TV-on-DVD from a laptop or tablet perched on your nightstand. Check out these roundups of iPad and tablet stands for some help:
• Crazy Tablet Stands & Mounts for Browsing in Bed
• 27 iPad Stands for Every Budget
• The Best DIY Tablet Stands
(Image: Shutterstock)
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Step 1: Remove the teenage boy from your bed.
J.K. Funny picture though.
I do many of these. I've setup a custom picture mode so I can get it as dim as is watchable without having to do a number of steps every time. I've also got wireless headphones.
For wireless headphones you are usually limited to using the large "studio" style headphones. I found a cheap pair on dealextreme.com that resemble a cheap AM/FM radio that I can attach any headphones to (nibblets are more comfortable for me to lay down with). One could also attach an FM transmitter and use a small radio as their wireless headphone receiver.
I can't imagine have a TV in the bedroom. I don't think I'd ever, ever sleep (or do anything else) -- what a distraction.
I recently got an iPod and put some Frasiers and movies on it. When I get the insomnia thing, I just turn it on, put in the earplugs and there we go. Husband never knows I've got it on. I could even do the "under-the-covers" thing if I had to.
How to watch TV in bed without disturbing your partner = Don't watch TV in bed.
There is no amount of dimming or headphones where this scenario would not keep me awake until the TV is turned off.
Remove TV from your bedroom, immediately!
That picture is hilarious!
No need for a TV in the bedroom. People who complain about insomnia, but have distracting elements in their bedroom are doing it wrong.
There is a good chance this would be a deal-breaker for me; if you can't fall asleep without the TV, and I can't fall asleep with the TV, then we just probably aren't gonna sleep together. An ipod with headphones (tuned low enough that I can't hear them hissing into your ears) seems like a decent plan, but really I would probably just say "watch TV in the TV room, then when you are actually ready for bed, come back to the bedroom."
Also, yeah, step one is not to let 15 year old boys in your bed, that picture is kind of weirding me out D:
I knew when I saw this post that the comments would have several (at least!) TV-in-the-bedroom-haters. But this article isn't aimed at you, so why read it just to leave judgmental comments? Just skip the article and skip the superiority. Please refrain from passing pointless judgement on those of us who actually really like to unwind by snuggling up with our partner (or alone) and unwinding together with some tv or a movie late at night. I'm sure you do things I'd think are ridiculous, but I'm not going to pass annonymous judgements on you for them via the internet. If we like TV in our bedroom, then we like TV in our bedroom. Get over it, and read one of the other myriad wonderful articles AT has!
@sweetvirginia, the article wasn't about people who like to watch TV in the bedroom and are all fine with it, it is about people who don't like it, sharing a room with people who do. So comments from people who don't like it, and whose solution to the problem in the post is to not have a TV in the bedroom, are actually perfectly on topic and have a place here. If you and the person you share a room with are fine watching TV together in bed, I highly doubt anyone here gives a crap. So if you want to show off your persecution complex, you can feel free to do so, but hopefully you're not expecting people to actually care or to take your post seriously.
But SweetVirginia, if you take away their opportunity to be judgmental, what else do they have in life?
Eye-covers work like a charm (for the light.)