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Bedtime procrastination

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A woman using her smartphone late at night

Bedtime procrastination is a psychological phenomenon that involves needlessly and voluntarily delaying going to bed, despite foreseeably being worse off as a result.[1] The causes of bedtime procrastination vary from losing sight of the time to staying up later than desired in an attempt to have control over the night due to a perceived lack of influence over events during the day. This latter phenomenon has recently been called revenge bedtime procrastination.[2][3]

Origin of the term

The "revenge" prefix is believed to have been added first in China in the late 2010s, possibly relating to the 996 working hour system (72 hours per week).[4] "Revenge" because many feel that it is the only way they can take any control over their daytime self.[4]

The term "bedtime procrastination" became popular based on a 2014 study from the Netherlands.[5]

Writer Daphne K. Lee popularised the term in a Twitter post using the term "revenge bedtime procrastination" (報復性熬夜), describing it as "a phenomenon in which people who don't have much control over their daytime life refuse to sleep early in order to regain some sense of freedom during late night hours."[6][7]

Causes

An individual may procrastinate sleep due to a variety of causes. The person may not necessarily be avoiding sleep, but rather continuing to complete activities they perceive as more enjoyable than sleep (such as watching television or browsing social media). There are many distractions in the 21st century: obtaining distractions to delay sleep is much easier than in earlier decades.[5]

A 2014 study of Dutch individuals concluded that low self-regulation could cause bedtime procrastination.[5] Due to COVID-19, 40% more people have had sleeping problems.[8] A 2021 study found that boredom also leads to bedtime procrastination. Boredom increases inattention,[clarification needed] which leads to increased bedtime procrastination.[9]

A 2018 study which tested 19 people led to three bedtime procrastination themes: deliberate procrastination, mindless procrastination and strategic delay. Deliberate procrastination results from a person consciously believing they deserve more time for themselves, causing them to intentionally stay up later. Mindless procrastination results from losing track of time during one's daily tasks and consequently staying up later without intending to. Strategic delay results from purposely staying up late in order to fall asleep easier. Strategic delay has also been found to be linked with undiagnosed insomnia.[10]

In a 2022 cross-culture research, 210 employees in the United States and 205 employees in China are participated in. The results show that off-time work-related smartphone use may provoke bedtime procrastination. And the negative impact of such smartphone use on bedtime procrastination is more significant in individualist countries such as the United States than in collective countries such as China. In the research, due to different values in two cultures, employees in the United States have a more resistant attitude than employees in China when facing work after hours, resulting in a higher self-control depletion and a higher possibility of bedtime procrastination.[11]

Researches found that bedtime procrastination's main causes are low-self control and increased stress.[12]

Psychological influences

Women, students, and "night owls"[clarification needed] are most likely to experience bedtime procrastination. People with high daytime stress levels are more prone to bedtime procrastination.[2]

Sleep procrastination comes in other forms as well, such as delaying going to sleep (sleep procrastination) and delaying the time trying to fall asleep (while in bed procrastination).[3]

One third of Chinese students showed signs of sleep procrastination.[13]

Signs and symptoms

According to researchers, there are three key factors that differentiate between bedtime procrastination and staying up late:

  • The individual experiencing bedtime procrastination must be decreasing their overall sleep time every night.
  • There must be no reason for them to stay up late (such as location or sickness).
  • The individual must be aware that the loss in sleep is impacting them negatively, but they do not care to change their routine.[3]

People with higher cell-phone addiction report more signs of bedtime procrastination.[14]

Consequences

A person who experiences bedtime procrastination is likely to face effects related to the delayed sleep. One study indicated that bedtime procrastination was frequently associated with sleep deprivation and experiencing more fatigue throughout the day.[5]

Bedtime procrastination results in poor sleep quality and can be a sign of poor self-regulation.[14]

Bedtime procrastination can cause sleep deprivation which leads to slow thinking, low attention levels, bad memory, bad decision making, stress, anxiety and irritation. If sleep deprivation is not treated quickly, long term consequences include heart disease, diabetes, obesity, weakened immune system, pain, hormone issues, and mental health issues.[12]

Prevention

There are a few ways that have been recommended to deal with Bedtime procrastination:

  • Turning off electronic devices at least one hour before bed. This is because, in a darker environment humans produce the sleep hormone melatonin and therefore, should limit the light they receive before going to sleep.[8]
  • Taking a hot shower or bath to reduce stresses.[8]
  • Writing down thoughts, feelings, and experiences that stood out throughout the day.[8]
  • Have a regular wake-up time and bedtime, including on non-working days.[2]
  • Snacking on nuts, seeds, and pulses, which are sources of the amino acid tryptophan, which helps produce melatonin.[8]
  • Avoiding alcohol or caffeine late in the afternoon or evening.[2]
  • Taking Vitamin D and magnesium supplements that may help induce sleep.[8]
  • Setting boundaries at work.

References

  1. ^ Kroese, Floor M.; Nauts, Sanne; Kamphorst, Bart A.; Anderson, Joel H.; De Ridder, Denise T. D. (2016). "5". In Sirois, Fuschia M.; Pychyl, Tim A. (eds.). Bedtime procrastination: a behavioral perspective on sleep insufficiency. pp. 93–119. doi:10.1016/C2014-0-03741-0. ISBN 978-0-12-802862-9.
  2. ^ a b c d "What is 'Revenge Bedtime Procrastination'?". Sleep Foundation. 23 February 2021. Archived from the original on 11 March 2021. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  3. ^ a b c Marples, Megan (15 February 2021). "'Revenge bedtime procrastination' could be robbing you of precious sleep time". CNN Health. Archived from the original on 22 February 2021. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  4. ^ a b Liang, Lu-Hai (26 November 2020). "The psychology behind 'revenge bedtime procrastination'". BBC. Archived from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d Kroese, Floor M.; De Ridder, Denise T. D.; Evers, Catharine; Adriaanse, Marieke A. (2014). "Bedtime procrastination: introducing a new area of procrastination". Frontiers in Psychology. 5: 611. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00611. ISSN 1664-1078. PMC 4062817. PMID 24994989.
  6. ^ Mateo, Ashley (2 March 2021). "Revenge Bedtime Procrastination Is a Real Sleep Disorder—Here's What It Means and How to Stop Doing It". Health.com. Archived from the original on 11 March 2021. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  7. ^ Daphne K. Lee (27 June 2020). "Daphne K. Lee on Twitter". Archived from the original on 2021-04-27.
  8. ^ a b c d e f "What is revenge bedtime procrastination?". www.medicalnewstoday.com. 2021-03-19. Archived from the original on 2021-11-10. Retrieved 2021-11-20.
  9. ^ "New study sheds light on how boredom affects bedtime procrastination and sleep quality". PsyPost. 2021-04-03. Archived from the original on 2021-11-20. Retrieved 2021-11-20.
  10. ^ Nauts, Sanne; Kamphorst, Bart A.; Stut, Wim; De Ridder, Denise T. D.; Anderson, Joel H. (2019-11-02). "The Explanations People Give for Going to Bed Late: A Qualitative Study of the Varieties of Bedtime Procrastination". Behavioral Sleep Medicine. 17 (6): 753–762. doi:10.1080/15402002.2018.1491850. ISSN 1540-2002. PMID 30058844. S2CID 51867032. Archived from the original on 2022-06-13. Retrieved 2021-11-20.
  11. ^ Hu, Wei; Ye, Zeying; Zhang, Zhang (2022). "Off-Time Work-Related Smartphone Use and Bedtime Procrastination of Public Employees: A Cross-Cultural Study". Frontiers in Psychology. 13. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.850802. ISSN 1664-1078. PMC 8961512. PMID 35360589.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link)
  12. ^ a b Starkman, Evan. "What Is Revenge Bedtime Procrastination?". WebMD. Archived from the original on 2021-11-20. Retrieved 2021-11-20.
  13. ^ Ma, Xiaohan; Meng, Dexin; Zhu, Liwei; Xu, Huiying; Guo, Jing; Yang, Limin; Yu, Lei; Fu, Yiming; Mu, Li (2020-07-15). "Bedtime procrastination predicts the prevalence and severity of poor sleep quality of Chinese undergraduate students". Journal of American College Health. 70 (4): 1104–1111. doi:10.1080/07448481.2020.1785474. ISSN 0744-8481. PMID 33151847. S2CID 220584393. Archived from the original on 2022-06-13. Retrieved 2021-11-20.
  14. ^ a b Zhang, Meng Xuan; Wu, Anise M. S. (2020-12-01). "Effects of smartphone addiction on sleep quality among Chinese university students: The mediating role of self-regulation and bedtime procrastination". Addictive Behaviors. 111: 106552. doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2020.106552. ISSN 0306-4603. PMID 32717501. S2CID 220842214. Archived from the original on 2022-06-13. Retrieved 2021-11-20.
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