We have all binged watched a TV show, whether it’s an old favorite that just ended like, “The Vampire Diaries,” or a show that is coming back on TV for its final season like, “Pretty Little Liars.” Binge watching is an activity of which almost everyone has had first-hand experience. If you don’t think you fall under the title “binge-watcher,” just think about the last time you watched a show and said to yourself, “Hmm, I’ll just watch one more episode.” Then times that by six. Sound familiar?

Netflix has nearly 99 million subscribers globally at the time of this article’s publication. Many of Netflix’s original series have also turned out to be extremely popular and well-liked by subscribers and TV fans alike. Popular shows on Netflix include the most recent original series’, 13 Reasons Why, and Stranger Things, along with streaming classic, fan-favorite sitcoms such as Friends , Parks and Recreation, and The Office. As a binge-watching connoisseur, I myself have partaken in the frequent weekend activity of watching whole seasons of popular shows.

Netflix has monitored its subscribers’ viewing habits in a recent study, and found that those who finish the first season of a show usually finish it in about a week, and viewers are watching approximately two episodes per day, on average.

So, how is all this binge watching affecting us? According to Robert F. Potter, PhD, the director of the Institute for Communication Research at Indiana University, lounging while watching Netflix slows down your circulation and metabolism leaving a person feeling sluggish. He also said that after watching a show like Friends, your emotional state varies from the beginning to the end of the show because people tend to forget about certain stressors in their lives. They also had a 4% increased risk of developing insomnia. The blue lights from the devices we use to stream shows online affects a person’s natural ability to sleep soundly. Some other effects that can come from binge watching are an increased risk of diabetes, from inactivity, and depression. It has been proven that watching an excessive amount television in a single sitting has a vast correlation with feelings of loneliness and guilt. These risks are even more susceptible for those with preexisting mental illness.

Binge watching anything but beneficial to one’s health, and should therefore be avoided. The lesson here is to exercise patience and restraint. Those episodes are not going anywhere anytime soon. Take a break, have a healthy snack, join a club, get a job, or participate in a multitude of other activities to avoid falling into the pit of binge-watching.