Bedtime procrastination
Bedtime procrastination is a psychological phenomenon that involves needlessly and voluntarily delaying going to bed, despite foreseeably being worse off as a result.
[1] Bedtime procrastination can occur due to losing track of time, or as an attempt to enjoy control over the nighttime due to a perceived lack of control over the events of the daytime; this latter phenomenon has recently been called revenge bedtime procrastination, a term which originated on the Chinese social media platform Weibo in 2014.
[8] 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.
"[9][10] Now, defining bedtime procrastination is shown in multiple ways like "going to bed later than planned" and "delaying sleep.
People who extensively use a smartphone are more likely to delay their bedtime because they find it hard to stop using the phone and keep getting distracted by it before going to sleep.
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.
[18] Researchers have also found that bedtime procrastination's main causes are low-self control and increased stress.
People who stayed up late reported more symptoms of depression and anxiety, lower sleep quality, and a higher risk of insomnia than those who went to bed earlier.
Bedtime procrastination causes people to feel that time is passing quickly, which can lead to anxiety and stress.
This can lead to a variety of negative health outcomes, including fatigue, mood swings, and difficulty concentrating.
[26] The media environment creates the atmosphere for sleep procrastination by providing plenty of fun pastimes before lights out.
[19] Bedtime procrastination can lead to short sleep, which can increase psychosis and may cause people to suffer from depression.
[32] It is highly important to prevent bedtime procrastination because getting the right amount of sleep is essential for the human body to function properly.
