A new study has found that spending more time watching TV is linked to worsening bodily pain over time, especially in people with type 2 diabetes. The research, conducted by the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, analyzed data from 4,099 participants in the Australian Diabetes, Obesity, and Lifestyle Study (AusDiab).
Bodily pain is common in older adults and people with chronic illnesses, including type 2 diabetes. This study found that as daily TV-watching time increased, pain levels also worsened.
Professor David Dunstan, the study’s lead researcher, explained that even watching just one extra hour of TV per day was significantly linked to greater pain severity. “These effects were even stronger in people with type 2 diabetes,” he added.
How TV Time Affects Pain
The study, published in BMC Public Health, used a validated survey to measure bodily pain on a scale from 0 to 100. A score of 0 represented severe pain, while 100 meant no pain.
At the start of the study, participants who were 50 years old had an average pain score of 76.9. Over time, this score worsened naturally due to aging, dropping by about 0.3 units per year. However, adding just one extra hour of TV per day worsened the pain score by 0.69 units—more than twice the amount expected from natural aging over a year.
For people with type 2 diabetes, the effects were even more pronounced. On average, they watched more TV (2.2 hours per day) than those without diabetes (1.6 hours per day) and also reported more severe pain. When TV time exceeded 2.5 hours per day, the link between screen time and pain became even stronger.
Why Does Sitting for Long Periods Cause Pain?
Sitting for long, uninterrupted periods—especially while watching TV—can negatively affect metabolism, including blood sugar control and insulin levels. In people with type 2 diabetes, this can lead to increased inflammation, which may contribute to worsening pain.
Previous research has linked high levels of sedentary behavior to a greater risk of early death, heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers. However, this study is the first to show a direct connection between longer TV time and increasing pain severity in middle-aged and older adults.
Simple Lifestyle Changes Can Help
Professor Dunstan emphasized that reducing TV time could have a real impact on pain management. “We know that being more physically active is important for preventing and managing chronic diseases, but this study highlights the benefits of simply cutting down on sedentary behaviors,” he said.
Reducing daily TV-watching could help slow down the natural increase in pain that comes with aging. It might even be a useful non-drug treatment option for chronic pain, or a way to enhance the effects of other therapies.
In short, while watching TV is a common pastime, spending too much time sitting could have long-term consequences. Limiting screen time and staying active may be key to reducing pain and improving overall health as people age.
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The research findings can be found in BMC Public Health.
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