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[22]Ashley Lauretta
[23]Gear
03.24.2021 07:00 AM

Why You Stay Up So Late, Even When You Know You Shouldn’t

There are certain traits that lend themselves to “revenge bedtime
procrastination.” There’s also a way out.
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As a self-proclaimed night owl, I’m rarely surprised when I lift my
eyes from Instagram and see that it's well past when I intended to go
to sleep. Here’s how I explain it to myself: I’ve always stayed up
late, and now the only time I get to myself is when my husband and
daughter are asleep. Here’s what’s actually going on: I’m
procrastinating.

Some researchers call this [26]bedtime procrastination or
[27]while-in-bed procrastination, while the Chinese word for it
translates to “[28]revenge bedtime procrastination.” No matter what you
call it, in my case, it involves a combination of technology and
anxiety; I worry that I won’t be able to fall asleep quickly, so I tell
myself that I’ll just scroll through social media until I’m exhausted.
It is this—along with a lack of [29]what researchers refer to as
self-regulation—that makes me a textbook sleep procrastinator.
How Sleep Procrastination Happens

The idea of sleep procrastination was first introduced in [30]a 2014
study from the Netherlands, defining the act simply as “failing to go
to bed at the intended time, while no external circumstances prevent a
person from doing so.” [31]Revenge was added to the title in 2020 with
the onset of the pandemic, but as a concept, it has actually been
around for much longer.

According to [32]Alessandra Edwards, a performance expert, revenge
bedtime procrastination is quite common in people who feel they don’t
have control over their time (such as those in high-stress occupations)
and are looking for a way to regain some personal time, even if it
means staying up too late.

“When it comes to the evening, they categorically refuse to go to bed
early, at a time they know will suit them best and enable them to get
adequate restorative sleep and feel better,” explains Edwards.
“Nevertheless there is a sense of retaliation against life, so there is
an idea of revenge to stay awake and do whatever fills their bucket.”
How Your Personality May Contribute to Insufficient Sleep

Behavioral scientist [33]Floor Kroese, an assistant professor in Health
Psychology at Utrecht University and lead author on [34]the study that
first introduced bedtime procrastination, notes that there is also a
link between procrastinating in daily life and sleep procrastination.

“An interesting difference may be that people typically procrastinate
on tasks they find aversive—housework, homework, boring tasks—while
sleeping for most people is not aversive at all,” says Kroese. “It
might be the bedtime routines that precede going to bed that people
dislike or just that they do not like quitting whatever they were
doing.”

In [35]an additional study from 2014, performed with a wider number of
participants, Kroese and team argued that lack of
self-regulation—associated with personality traits such as being
impulsive or easily distracted—is a possible cause of sleep
procrastination. While self-regulation and procrastination may sound
like opposite sides of the same coin, they are actually different; one
[36]study from 2019 differentiates the two by defining procrastination
as delaying an action, while self-regulation refers to “thoughts,
feelings, and behaviors that guide individuals to set personal goals.”

For those unable to self-regulate, Edwards adds that the time before
bed may be the only time to process the emotional backlog from the day,
including “frustration and anger, or fear and anxiety they may have
felt during the day but shut out.”

Kroese’s research indicates that “self-regulation interventions” could
be helpful at improving sleeping behavior, and therefore reducing sleep
procrastination. Getting adequate sleep requires more than just setting
a bedtime (especially considering that self-regulation comes with
thoughts and feelings, and not just behaviors).
Advertisement

This is where sleep specialists such as [37]Michael Breus—known
professionally as “the Sleep Doctor”—diplomate of the American Board of
Sleep Medicine and fellow of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine,
come in.
How a ‘Power-Down Hour’ Can Reduce Sleep Procrastination

Breus studies the science of helping people sleep, and he helps
patients with a technique he calls the “Power-Down Hour.” Featured in
his first book, [38]Good Night: The Sleep Doctor's 4-Week Program to
Better Sleep and Better Health, it is a strategy to slow your mind down
while getting you to step away from technology and address daily
procrastination (that could lead to sleep procrastination).

The Power-Down Hour is composed of three 20-minute segments:
* The first 20 minutes are dedicated to things that need to be done.
* The second 20 minutes are set aside for hygiene (such as a hot
bath).
* The final 20 minutes are for relaxation (such as meditation,
prayer, or journaling).

The order of each segment is what Breus claims is “the secret
ingredient.” With this technique, you are not only addressing specific
behaviors of self-regulation; you are also considering the thoughts and
feelings element. While this may seem like a simple solution for those
of us who find ourselves scrolling late into the night, Breus
acknowledges that there is an added element of FOMO, due in part to the
pandemic, making the Power-Down Hour seem a bit more daunting.

“I understand that people are not having any real alone time right now,
and that scrolling on your phone is fun, but you lose track of time,”
says Breus. “My big question is: If you want some ‘me’ time, why not
schedule it? If you just can’t figure that out, set a timer and give
yourself a pattern interrupt. When the timer goes off, go brush your
teeth, come back, and—if you just have to scroll—set it for 15 minutes
and try again.”

Breus’s Power-Down Hour is in line with others’ findings, Kroese says a
specific if-then plan (“If it is 11 pm, then I will go upstairs to
brush my teeth”) and sleep hygiene habits, “such as making sure to end
your day with relaxing activities, dimming the light, and keeping your
bedroom distraction-free,” is a promising strategy for those who are
experiencing bedtime procrastination due to self-regulation issues.

By breaking up the last hour before you want to be asleep, you are not
only enacting a clear plan but also addressing any tasks you may have
missed or pushed. You’re taking charge of your health with a routine
and managing any potentially suppressed emotions from the day. And all
of this is to get ample rest and tackle the next day head-on (no
revenge needed).
__________________________________________________________________

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[46]robot vacuums to [47]affordable mattresses to [48]smart
speakers

[49]Ashley Lauretta is a journalist based in Austin, Texas. Her work
appears in The Atlantic, SELF, ELLE, elemental, espnW, Men’s Journal
and more.
Contributor
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Featured Video
The Science Is Clear: You Need More Sleep
Consistently getting a good night's rest lowers your risk of diabetes
and cancer, and it can even help prevent Alzheimer’s.
Topics[50]Sleep[51]tips[52]health[53]psychology[54]Behavior

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