the InMind blog

Bedtime procrastination: I know I should go to bed but …

• written by Liesemarie Albers

Editorial Assistants: Rina Meerson, Stella Wernicke

Note: An earlier version of this article has been published in the German version of In-Mind.

Perhaps, most people are aware that sleep is important and know the consequences of cutting nights short. However, many people delay their bedtimes from time to time – even though they are already tired and could easily fall asleep. Why do we put off going to bed? This article approaches explanations. 

Troubles to disengage from screen media contribute to bedtime procrastination

Imagine the following situation: You have to get up early tomorrow morning, and it is way past your bedtime, but instead of going to bed, everything else suddenly seems more important. You may want to continue watching a favorite TV show, watch one YouTube clip after another, do some online shopping or even finish unloved household chores – knowing full well that this will backfire. The next morning, you feel unrested and are annoyed by your own behavior. Scientists call this “bedtime procrastination”.

If you recognized yourself in this scenario, you are not alone. Surveys showed that many people postpone going to bed from time to time. This delay is often not caused by circumstances that are difficult to change, such as shift work, care-taking responsibilities for young children, or sleep disorders. Instead, it appears to be voluntary and without good reason [1].

There are promising strategies that may help you to prevent bedtime procrastination

Many people are probably familiar with procrastination in other aspects of their lives, whether it is doing their taxes, preparing for an important exam, or tackling household chores. The common pattern is that unpleasant or tedious tasks are postponed until the last moment. But why do we delay going to bed, especially seeing that most healthy people do not dislike sleeping and recognize its importance?

Researchers discuss multiple reasons for bedtime procrastination. One possible explanation is that people do not consider sleep itself unpleasant, but they dislike the tasks they routinely have to do before going to bed, for example brushing their teeth, washing their face, taking off their contact lenses, and putting on their pajamas. In one study, researchers investigated the association between the aversion to such routine tasks, the aversion to sleep itself, and bedtime procrastination. Their findings suggest that people put off going to bed because they find it difficult to get started with the tedious routines involved in going to bed, and not because they dislike sleep itself [2].

In general, it may not only be difficult to begin unpleasant tasks. If you have the choice between two activities, such as going to bed now or staying up a little longer, you may also struggle to stop an activity you are currently engaged in. One immersive activity that many people engage in before going to bed is media consumption, and today’s screen media is particularly engaging due to features like cliffhangers at the end of an episode or autoplay functions. Regarding the general difficulty of detaching from immersive activities, research has shown that difficulties in regulating one’s own media consumption contribute to bedtime procrastination [3].

On top of that, your individual day-and-night rhythm influences when you prefer to go to bed, and whether you tend to go to bed too late. So-called evening chronotypes typically go to bed late and prefer to sleep in, while so-called morning chronotypes tend to sleep early and wake up earlier in the morning. Given that work and school usually start early, today’s society is more aligned with the needs of morning types. Results from a daily diary study show that evening types often fail to go to bed as planned, especially at the beginning of a new workweek [4]. A possible explanation is that evening types can go to bed according to their individual day-and-night rhythm on weekends. However, at the beginning of a new workweek, they have to readjust to the socially prescribed rhythm, which may lead to delays.

Finally, there are indications that bedtime procrastination may be a conscious choice. In interviews, respondents described the feeling that they still need time for themselves or that they deserve to stay up a little longer after a long day [5]. This description resembles a phenomenon called self-licensing, where a person allows themselves to act contrary to an original plan because they have some form of justification or an excuse to do so [6].

To date, only a few studies have investigated how bedtime procrastination can be avoided. However, the explanations outlined in this article can be used to derive promising strategies. So, what can you do if you recognize yourself in the description at the beginning of this article? Even small adjustments may help to prevent bedtime procrastination. For instance, sticking to a fixed bedtime – even on the weekends – may help to go to bed on time. People who have the habit to go to bed at a specific time do not need to consciously deliberate every evening anew when it is time to end the day. As a consequence, it should be easier to begin tedious evening routines and finish other activities on time. Another general advice is to turn off the autoplay feature when online streaming and to avoid electronic media right before going to bed. Instead, alternative evening routines, such as reading a book, listening to audiobooks or doing light yoga exercises may help you unwind. Optimally, you should be prepared for bed in advance so that you do not have to complete tedious bedtime routines afterward and can fall right into bed instead.

Even if there are still unanswered questions about bedtime procrastination, being aware of the problem is already a first step. People who recognize that they tend to postpone going to bed can actively continue to change this behavioral pattern.  

References

[1]    F. M. Kroese, D. T. D. de Ridder, C. Evers, and M. A. Adriaanse, “Bedtime procrastination: Introducing a new area of procrastination,” Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 5, 2014, doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00611.
[2]    S. Nauts, B. A. Kamphorst, A. E. Sutu, R. Poortvliet, and J. H. Anderson, “Aversive bedtime routines as a precursor of bedtime procrastination,” The European Health Psychologist, vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 80–84, 2016.
[3]    L. Exelmans and J. van den Bulck, ““Glued to the tube”: The interplay between self-control, evening television viewing, and bedtime procrastination,” Communication Research, vol. 18, 410–444, 2017, doi: 10.1177/0093650216686877.
[4]    J. Kühnel, C. J. Syrek, and A. Dreher, “Why don’t you go to bed on time? A daily diary study on the relationships between chronotype, self-control resources and the phenomenon of bedtime procrastination,” Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 9, 2018, doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00077.
[5]    S. Nauts, B. A. Kamphorst, W. Stut, D. T. D. de Ridder, and J. H. Anderson, “The explanations people give for going to bed late: A qualitative study of the varieties of bedtime procrastination,” Behavioral Sleep Medicine, pp. 753–762, 2018, doi: 10.1080/15402002.2018.1491850.
[6]    J. C. de Witt Huberts, C. Evers, and D. T. D. de Ridder, “License to sin: Self-licensing as a mechanism underlying hedonic consumption,” European Journal of Social Psychology, vol. 42, no. 4, pp. 490–496, 2012, doi: 10.1002/ejsp.861.