Too tired to go to bed earlier?
Ever noticed that you’re more likely to stay up too late after a particularly demanding day? It’s not just you. A 2018 study by Kamphorst and colleagues in Amsterdam found a correlation between how often we resist temptations during the day and how likely we are to delay going to bed.
Here’s a quick summary of what the researchers did, what they found, and crucially, what the study might teach us about how to go to bed earlier.
The big idea
Insufficient sleep is a global issue. And in almost every country, a big part of the problem is simply bedtime procrastination: going to bed late for no good reason. Whether people are scrolling, being-watching, or just staying up late to get some time to ourselves, it’s a fascinating and common behaviour that causes huge amounts of sleep deprivation.
It's generally believed that bedtime procrastination is in part connected to difficulties with self-regulation: our ability to resist temptations for longer-term gain.
Good examples of self-regulation might be eating an apple when you really want some chocolate, or going for a jog rather than staying in bed. Various studies have shown that our ability to self-regulate diminishes throughout the day – you're more likely to exercise if you intend to do it in the morning rather than later in the day.
With this in mind, Kamphorst and colleagues wanted to find out whether there could be a correlation between how often we’re required to resist temptations during the day, and 1) Whether we go to bed on time, 2) How late we stay up past our bedtime.They said:
“We expected that participants would be more likely to engage in bedtime procrastination if they had attempted to resist many desires on a given day.”
The research
The data for this study came from 218 adults who completed an online assessment about what they had done and felt on the previous day. The assessment had three components:
Self-regulation: The respondents were asked how many desires they had experienced (unhealthy food, scrolling social media when they should be working etc) and, crucially, how many they’d tried to resist. The researchers used these answers to create a ‘depletion index’ and, understanding that it requires more resources to resist temptation as the day progresses, they weighted each experience differently depending on the time of day.
Bedtime procrastination scale: The researchers created a bedtime procrastination scale that closely followed the original bedtime procrastination scale developed by Kroese and colleagues in 2014.
Bedtime procrastination data: They asked respondents whether they had gone to bed later than intended, and how long the delay had been.
The results
As you might have guessed, the findings revealed a clear pattern: people who resisted more desires during the day were more likely to procrastinate at bedtime. The higher the number of attempts to resist, the greater the likelihood of bedtime procrastination and the longer the delay before going to bed.
What the researchers say
In their conclusion, the researchers were quick to point out that this study demonstrates a correlation, not cause and effect. But they believe their results support the idea that, just like unhealthy eating or giving up smoking, bedtime procrastination is affected by self-regulation. In fact, they believe self-regulation might be an issue for bedtime procrastination in particular because:
“the conflict between the desire to indulge in a bedtime-delaying activity and the desire to get sufficient sleep (by sticking to one’s bedtime) always takes place at the point in one’s day when cumulative depletion tends to be at its peak.”
Using the study: tips to stop bedtime procrastination
Trying to work out how to go to bed earlier? Here are three tips inspired by this study that just might help:
Tune in
Over the next few days, pay attention to when you’re struggling to go to bed on time. Is there a connection with how self-disciplined you’ve needed to be during the day?
Pay attention to ‘high-risk’ days
If you’ve had a demanding day (or week!), make a mental note that it might affect your self-regulation when it comes to going to bed on time. If you’ve had a big day, you probably need more sleep, not less.
Prioritise your bedtimes
In their discussion at the end of the paper, the researchers discussed the possibility of a “bidirectional effect” because tiredness affects our ability to self-regulate. So, if you’re tired, you’re more likely to struggle to resist temptation, which leads you to go to bed late, which makes you more tired…and so on! Prioritising going to bed earlier could in turn make it easier to go to bed on time in the future.
Don’t count on willpower
Lots of us rely on willpower to go to bed on time, even though it frequently lets us down. If you think self regulation might be the reason you can’t go to bed on time, it might be time to try a different approach: creating a new bedtime habit that you can rely on, even when your self-regulation is struggling.
Bedtime procrastination FAQ
What is bedtime procrastination?
Bedtime procrastination is a widely recognised behaviour where you stay up later than you intended, without any real reason, even though you know you’ll struggle the next day. You might also hear it called sleep procrastination, or revenge bedtime procrastination.
Why is bedtime procrastination a problem?
Staying up late every now and then is completely normal. But when it becomes a regular pattern, it creates sleep debt, which really takes its toll. Sleep deprivation, even when self-inflicted, affects nearly every aspect of our physical and mental wellbeing. Going to bed just one hour late each night could be the equivalent to missing out on a whole night of sleep each week.
How can Untired Me help?
If you’re struggling with how to go to bed earlier, and the usual tips just aren’t working, the Untired Me programme offers a more structured approach. Created by an ex-bedtime procrastination, it’s a bedtime procrastination solution created for real life. The programme includes an online course and coursebook, helping you to:
- Tune into your bedtime procrastination habit
- Switch on to who the new ‘untired’ you could be
- Commit to change
- Design and test out a new bedtime routine that sticks.
You’ll also receive a free monthly newsletter to help you stay on track.
Find out more
Need some extra support?
If your bedtime procrastination habit is leaving you frustrated, and you can't fix it by yourself, come and take a look at the Untired Me programme. Created by an ex-bedtime procrastinator, it's an easy way to delve into your habit, explore the real ‘untired’ you, and create a plan you can stick to – without having to go to bed at the same time every night!