Don’t you get to bed before midnight every night? Do you swear to yourself every morning: “But earlier this evening.”? Then you may be suffering from Revenge Bedtime Procrastination.
It’s 10 p.m., you’re tired. Just tired enough to go to bed and sleep for eight hours before you can start the next day feeling rested. But actually it’s only 10 p.m…. There are easily two more episodes on Netflix until twelve. Or just surf the net a bit? Finally, we need some new shoes, oh and this dress is so pretty too… bang, add it to the shopping cart. Well, while we’re here, let’s see what else we can order that’s nice. Oops, almost one o’clock. Now go to bed quickly. Five hours of sleep should be enough. Tomorrow we’ll actually go to bed earlier…
The eternal vicious circle of sleep procrastination
Our days are full of appointments, after work we take care of shopping, homework, doctor’s appointments, hobbies and of course, if you have one, the children. For many people, the end of work doesn’t really begin until around 9 p.m. And then of course you want to enjoy it and relax a little bit. Unfortunately at the expense of our rest period. The result: The night is short, the stress the next day is even greater because we are even more tired. According to National Geographic, there has not yet been sufficient research into who is particularly affected by bedtime procrastination, but interestingly, it is primarily people who have a lot of freedom to act at work – for example executives, managers, students and freelancers – who procrastinate at bedtime, explains Dr. Anna Höcker, coach, psychological psychotherapist and expert in stress management and work blockages told National Geographic.
Reasons for Revenge Bedtime Procrastination
Mostly it’s about the feeling of making up for free time that you didn’t have during the day in the evening and at night. A feeling that parents in particular know very well, who only have their own time when the kids have disappeared into their beds. The only problem is that the time is perceived as too valuable to be “wasted” sleeping, but at the same time there is no energy left to really spend it meaningfully. Often you just get caught up in social media and the TV program and what was intended as a short-term reward after a strenuous day quickly turns unnoticed into a waste of time lasting several hours. “Absurdly, this happens especially when we are already tired or strained from the day or have experienced a lot of frustration – then cognitive control decreases and we find it more difficult to regulate ourselves,” says Dr. Anna Höcker.
And then one thing leads to another…
Too little sleep leads to even more stress, a bad conscience and self-blame. We can’t concentrate as well, we may have headaches, we’re more irritable and impatient. “What is particularly common is that sleep-deprived people who are overtired during the day tend to have poorer self-control, which in turn can lead to general procrastination and poorer other health behaviors.” Logical: “If you are overtired and exhausted, you will be less able to bring yourself to train, exercise or eat healthy.” In addition, too little sleep leads to the release of the hunger-stimulating hormone ghrelin and can result in food cravings and unregulated eating.
How do you get out of bedtime procrastination?
1. More time off in the day
If we feel like we don’t get enough time out and relaxation during the day and need to make up for it in the evening, we can try to incorporate a little more of it into our everyday lives. For example, your lunch break can be used for a walk, or you can plan short breaks at regular intervals that you design for yourself. We should also check our to-do list more often to see if it is important; not everything always has to be done right away.
2. Establish new habits
When would I like to be in bed? We should answer this question and set an alarm clock. When the bell rings, it’s time to go to bed. Or we treat ourselves to an episode of our favorite series and then switch it off when we are otherwise stuck in front of it. After about three weeks it becomes a habit.
3. Journaling
Thinking about it forever in the evening? Then it helps to write down your thoughts for 10 minutes before going to bed. This can also happen completely unfiltered and does not have to be easy to read. The main thing is to get out of your head.
4. Be conscious of signs of fatigue
Our body actually says pretty precisely what it needs – even when it wants to sleep. We’ve just learned to ignore how our bodies feel. But the good thing is: we can learn it again. Just pay attention to what your body is telling you and go to bed if you feel any signs of tiredness.
5. Make the benefits of sleep clear
And these are a few: regeneration, anti-aging, recovery, relaxation, performance… It’s worth getting enough sleep!
6. Develop a sleep routine
Not everyone needs the same amount of sleep. To find out how much you need, you can experiment a little and develop your own sleep routine.
7. Ban your cell phone from the bedroom
If you spend a lot of time on social media in bed, it helps to put your smartphone aside half an hour before you plan to go to bed or banish it completely from the bedroom. An analog alarm clock is then a good investment.
No panic
In principle, it is of course not a tragedy if we go to bed too late. But if the level of suffering increases because we don’t sleep enough, it obviously makes sense to take a look at what you do with your time in the evening. However, if the procrastination becomes chronic or excessive, the psychological and physical suffering increases and you are unsure whether the procrastination is due to deeper problems, an appointment with a psychotherapist makes a lot of sense.
Sources: National Geographic, Business Insider