How to watch TV in bed

So you wanna watch more TV in bed, do you? Of course you do. And you’ve come to the right place. 

Well, not that we’re offering to let you watch TV in bed with us. No offense. We just don’t know you. But we do feel like we have a pretty good grasp on what would make for the most optimal TV watching experience in bed, so we’re here to recommend a few gadgets and accessories to make your viewing experience the best it can be.

Aside from being one of our favorite self-care activities, watching TV in bed is a daily aspiration – and one that’s pretty easily achieved! No matter what our responsibilities are, some way, somehow, space magically opens up in the schedule for a̶ ̶l̶i̶t̶t̶l̶e̶ TV watching. 

It’s a simple joy, but that doesn’t mean we can’t find ways to make it even better. With a few upgrades to your tech, comfort items, and accessories, you too can be on a journey toward a prime TV-in-bed experience. You’re welcome.

Your tech

We should probably start with the thing you’re going to be watching, because that’s kinda important. I’m not someone who believes you need an 80-inch screen to enjoy TV. A modest 50-incher will do! 

Just kidding. Kinda. A 50-inch TV, , is nice, when possible.

But it’s also nice to have a more affordable option if you’re looking for a decent screen to watch your favorite shows on. For that, we like the , with its solid display and comparatively cheaper price of about $150. We’re two decades into the 21st century, and pretty much everybody is watching TV and films on their laptops and tablets at least some of the time. If that’s your style, this is a good option that can get the job done.

If you go the TV route, however, you may want to consider a for the most comfy watching experience in bed. You want to be able to lay all the way back and still see the screen. Straining your neck in order to see does not equate to optimal TV watching.

To upgrade your audio situation, consider getting a soundbar, like , with Bluetooth compatibility for about $100. 

Your comfort

Let’s see what we can do to make your viewing experience the coziest and comfiest one possible.

I don’t have one (yet), but I’ve wanted a for the longest time — the perfect prop for lying sideways across the bed with a perfect TV-viewing angle.

Imagine being able to lean your head back on a cushiony-yet-supportive pillow that just so happens to give you a perfect eye-line to the TV screen. Or, if you’re watching on your laptop or tablet, you can use the pillow a number of different ways. You could place your laptop on top of the pillow so you’re not straining your neck to look down at the screen. If you want to lay on your stomach instead of your back, you could place your screen at the foot of the bed and prop your head up on the pillow facing the screen so you’re not straining to look up. 

A body pillow offers a lot of flexibility for your in-bed TV watching so you never have to sit or lie down in the same position for hours. 

A neat alternative to a body pillow is a backrest lounge cushion, a smaller type of pillow (with armrests!) that allows you to sit back in comfort while still supporting your neck and back. will run you around $40. 

Another accessory that could make your viewing experience a little more comfy is . If there’s one thing that’ll put a damper on your relaxation, it’s eye strain, which can happen when you spend a lot of time staring at blue light emitted from screens. Blue-light-filtering glasses will help limit any adverse effects so you can binge watch with fewer of those nasty eye-strain-related headaches.

One more component we’ll suggest for your TV-bingeing pleasure is a weighted blanket, like for about $77. Why a weighted blanket as opposed to a regular blanket, you ask? It’s a lot easier to ignore the voice in your head telling you to do more work when there’s 20 pounds of soft, plushy comfort keeping you snugly in front of the TV. It’s easy for us to get caught up in the mindset that we have to be doing something productive at all times, and when that mindset starts to overtake our lives, the weighted blanket is here to say, “Nope! You’re done working today. You’re going to sit here and watch The Queen’s Gambit and that’s that.” Weighted blanket. Less work-y, more watch-y. 

Your accessories

Now that we’ve got your tech and your comfort covered, let’s pick out a couple gadgets that can take your viewing experience to the next level.

Who else cannot resist the Icee machine at the movie theater no matter what bank-breaking amount they charge for a simple frozen sugar beverage? Well, screw those guys. Get your own and have all the slushies you want for your super-ultra-mega-marathon TV binges. After the initial purchase of the machine for about $100, the only thing you have to keep buying is the . 

So now you have your slushy. And, ideally, your popcorn. And your chips. And your candy. And your pizza. And your soda. And your cholesterol meds. What good are all those wonderful treats without a convenient place to put them?

Consider: An over-bed table. Yep! A table. That goes over your bed. It’s wide enough for the legs to fit around the bed and rest on the floor, making for a much more stable place to put your snacks as opposed to, say, a tray table.

The big plus to the over-bed table is it allows you to move around and readjust without worrying about spilling your snacks — something you really, really, really don’t want to do in bed. Over-bed tables can get a little pricey though, so if you want to get something more cost-friendly, like a tray table, you can do that and it’ll still be an upgrade. You just have to be mindful about shifting around in bed. You can add a bit more stability by getting a tray table with a cupholder, like . 

The above assortment of TV-optimization options to choose from is good news for TV binge-ers everywhere. So mix, match and may your in-bed TV watching be the coziest, most convenient experience that has ever been.