Your smart TV is a vast gateway to endless, immersive entertainment. You can stream your favorite movies and shows, play video games from a console, scroll YouTube, and display artwork and ambient scenery. The smart TV is connected to just about everything, and it’s ready to go at a moment’s notice. The best TV provides colorful and detailed titles that can make you feel like you’re in a different world.

Unfortunately, for all its conveniences and advances, there are some downsides to smart TV as it relates to your health. And it has nothing to do with brain rot (that’s AI’s job). The way in which you set up your TV in your home, and the settings you use to watch your TV, all play a factor in overall health. Here’s what you need to know.

Be mindful of your TV’s position

Set up your smart TV in the perfect spot

Where your smart TV is set up, and where you sit in relation to it, will influence not just your viewing experience, but potential physical discomfort as well. Basically, your smart TV should be arranged so that the middle of the screen sits at about eye level when you are in your TV-viewing position. Ideally, your main viewing spot should be the dead center of the TV screen, both vertically and horizontally.

You want to avoid mounting your TV too high up on a wall or TV stand, which is a common mistake by folks who are trying to fit their TV in their allotted space. It may not seem like much, but having to tilt your head up just a little bit more than you would otherwise can create issues with pain and discomfort over prolonged views. You likely won’t feel anyone at first, but if you’re watching TV for several hours a day in succession, and most days during the week, that angle will eventually create discomfort if you’re not stretching and adjusting your position regularly.

So be careful not to set up your TV too high, and avoid keeping it in a corner or off to the side of a wall in a spot. You also don’t want to be sitting too close or too far away from your TV. In most cases, you may not be able to control the distance from the couch to the TV screen, at which point you need to buy the right size TV for the space. A TV that is too big or one that is too small can both cause strain and discomfort. A TV that is too big will be overwhelming and activating, while a screen that is too small can lead to headaches and nausea if you’re having trouble discerning what’s going on.

Avoid dynamic and vivid settings

Blue tones and heightened contrast create strain

It’s also important to be mindful of your TV’s picture settings in order to prevent eye strain and fatigue that could happen over prolonged use. One of the main culprits in this case are picture presets that increase brightness and color saturation while lowering the color temperature. Settings like Vivid and Dynamic are the big problems: these should be avoided any time you’re watching a movie or TV show.

These settings boost brightness and saturation to an unhealthy level; they are designed to get you glued to the screen. When you go into a store that sells TVs, they are typically going to be set to vivid or dynamic modes. That’s because they will grab your attention and make colors look rich and enticing. However, when you are at home, especially at night, the excess brightness and bluer tones that come as a result of cool temperature settings can lead to eye strain and fatigue. For some individuals, the blue tones can be harsh to experience over time.

These settings also increase contrast, which is more of a problem than you might think. A screen that is bright all around is going to keep you alert and engaged, but if there are pockets of the screen that are bright and the rest is dark, that big difference in brightness can be upsetting.

Instead, opt for anything that is labeled as Cinema, Natural, or Movie. These settings use a warm temperature and lower the brightness to create a more cinematic and comfortable viewer experience, and one that is typically more akin to the director’s vision. Enabling Filmmaker Mode will make sure you get the ideal cinematic experience, and one that isn’t as visually aggravating.

Consider implementing bias lighting

Warm glows can offset brightness and contrast concerns

Contrast can influence strain and fatigue, especially when that contrast is so stark. While you want to create a theater-like experience in your home in order to optimize viewing, you don’t want to watch bright TV in a completely dark room all the time. That creates strain and can disrupt your sleep if you’re frequently watching TV late at night.

One of the best ways you can combat the strain is by setting up some bias lighting in your room. Basically, bias lighting is a dim, soft, warm lighting arrangement near to your TV that serves to create gentle contrast. Instead of a harsh contrast between a bright TV screen and a completely dark room, you have something in your peripheral that softens that experience. It’s especially helpful if you’re watching something with a lot of flashing lights, bright sequences, or cooler temperatures.

Bias lighting can take a few different forms. One of the easiest ways is to simply set up a candle or two off the side of your TV set up. You can employ a table lamp as well, or even TV backlights that create a halo effect around your screen (ideal if your TV is mounted first). You just want to make sure the temperature is warm, and the light is quite dim. You don’t want it overpowering what you see on screen, you just want it to serve as a bit of a midway point between the darkness of the space and the vivid screen.

Examine your sound settings

Avoid using your TV’s speakers

Issues with sound can also lead to health concerns, where sound is too loud, tinny, or inconsistent. A big issue is dynamic range, where some scenes, like those with dialogue, are really low, and others, such as action sequences, are quite loud. That difference can be jarring as a viewer (and quite annoying), but also disruptive to your brain. Having a movie that’s quiet for a while and then suddenly loud, when you’re not expecting it to be (like in a horror movie), is going to be jarring.

Most TV speakers aren’t great. There are some good ones on higher-end TVs, but they just aren’t going to achieve the clarity, depth, and richness that a soundbar and associated system will achieve. TV speakers may cause some sounds to come across at a higher pitch, while dialogue may be muffled. All of these can lead to strain and discomfort. If you’re investing in a quality TV and you plan on using it a lot, invest in a quality soundbar that can better transmit audio into clear channels and with a better balance.