The Sleep Procrastination: Why We Put Off Sleep | health

As a night owl admits, I’m rarely surprised when I look away from Instagram and see that it’s been a long time since I intended to go to sleep. Which I justify to myself: I always stayed up late, and now the only time I have it alone is when my husband and daughter are sleeping. What’s really going on: I’m sorry. Some researchers call this delaying bedtime or procrastinating bedtime, While the Chinese expression translates as procrastinating revenge at bedtime.

It doesn’t matter what you call it. In my case, it involves a combination of technology and anxiety. I’m afraid I won’t be able to fall asleep quickly, so I talk myself out of surfing the nets until I’m exhausted. It is this – along with a lack of self-regulation, the scientists explain – that defines procrastination in sleep.

The idea of ​​bedtime delay was first introduced in a 2014 Dutch study, which basically defined the scenario as “not going to bed on time, without any external circumstances preventing the person from doing so.” “Revenge” was added to the phrase in 2020 with the advent of the pandemic, but as a concept it has been around for much longer.

According to performance specialist Alessandra Edwards, this type of procrastination is very common in those who feel they have no control over their schedule (such as people with highly stressful jobs) and who are looking for a way to get their personal time back, even if it means staying up late.

“When it gets dark, they categorically refuse to go to bed early, at a time that would allow them to sleep comfortably and feel better,” Edwards explains. “There’s a sense of revenge on life, an idea of ​​revenge for staying up late and doing whatever you want.”

Behavioral scientist Flor Croese, associate professor of health psychology at Utrecht University and lead author of the study that first introduced the idea of ​​bedtime delay, notes that there is a link between procrastination in everyday life and procrastination at bedtime. “One interesting difference is that people generally put off tasks they don’t like — like chores, homework — but for most of them, sleep isn’t such a bad thing,” says Kroese. “It could be because they don’t like their bedtime routine or just don’t want to stop what they’re doing.”

In an additional study from 2014, conducted with a larger number of participants, Kroese and his team saw a lack of self-regulation, associated with personality traits such as impulsiveness or ease of distraction, as a possible cause of the problem. A 2019 survey defines procrastination as delaying an action, while self-regulation refers to “thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that direct individuals to set personal goals.”

For those unable to self-regulate, Edwards adds that bedtime may be the only time to process emotional buildup, including “the frustration, anger, or fear and anxiety people have felt during the day but are confined to.”

Michael Breuss, better known as Doctor Sleep, assists with the sleep task and uses a technology called shutdown time. It is a strategy for slowing down the mind, consisting of three steps. The first 20 minutes are for things to do. The next 20 minutes are reserved for cleanliness, such as a hot shower. You spend the last 20 minutes relaxing, such as meditating, praying, or journaling.

The order of each step is what Prius calls the “secret ingredient.” With this technique, you not only address specific self-regulating behaviors, but also reflect on thoughts and feelings. “I understand that people don’t really have moments alone and browsing on a phone is fun, but you lose track of time,” he points out. My main question is, if you want some time to yourself, why not limit it? Set a timer and create a pattern interrupt. When the time is up, brush your teeth, come back, and if you really want to surf, set another 15 minutes and try again.”

Kroese also cites an “if-then” schedule (“If it’s 11 p.m., I brush my teeth”) and sleep hygiene habits, “such as making sure to end your day with relaxing activities, dimming the light and keeping the bedroom distraction-free.” By marking the last hour before bed, you are not only following a clear plan, but also dealing with any tasks you may have forgotten or put off. Thus, take care of your health by following a routine and control the pent-up emotions of the day. And all this to get plenty of rest (no revenge needed).

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