Let’s Talk About Revenge Bedtime Procrastination

Ever stayed up late just to catch up on some things you couldn’t do during the day? And in the end, you end up sleepier and moodier the next day.

In this day and age, we’ve all had our fair share of revenge bedroom procrastination. While we understand the need for me time, sacrificing sleep for that is not a good bargain in the long run. Let’s talk more about this popular phenomenon through this short guide down below.

What is Revenge Bedroom Procrastination?

Sleep Foundation defines Revenge Bedroom Procrastination as “the decision to sacrifice sleep for leisure time that is driven by a daily schedule lacking in free time.” 

This term has been common among various groups, such as students, those in high-stress jobs that may also have long working hours, and parents who care for their children. Because all your time is devoted to work and all sorts of tasks, being in service to others, you barely have any time for yourself. So instead of going to bed early at night, you use up that precious time to catch up on what you’ve missed. It can be scrolling through your phone, watching a TV show/film, or any hobby that divides your work life from your personal life.

Another way to define this term is that it’s the choice to purposefully stay up for your personal needs and desires rather than to sleep. In turn, you become self-deprived the next day.

Signs You Engage in Revenge Bedtime Procrastination

Browse through the top 3 most common signs that you are engaging in such procrastination here.

1 You intentionally delay sleep.

The fact that you’re conscious of it means that you have less self-control to indulge in whatever you want to do at that time. Whether to watch another episode of that TV show or finish that last work task, you choose not to cross the line for temporary, in-the-moment gratification. As a result, you feel regretful and stressed the morning after. It’s a loop, but it can be stopped if you choose to.

2 There’s no proper reason or intention for staying up late.

Unfortunately, catching up on me time or solo time isn’t valid to stay up past your bedtime. Again, it may sound good at the moment, but it only sets you up for disaster the following day.

3 You’re aware that staying late will impact your morning.

Having this in mind is literally a form of self-sabotage and lack of self-respect. Just blatantly stating that out there. Sleep impacts your overall well-being, and not prioritizing it only brings out the worst in you the next day.

Causes of Revenge Bedroom Procrastination

Potential causes of this phenomenon that you should look out for include:

1. An intention-action gap (you know you want to sleep early, but you don’t do the work to do so)
2. Being a general procrastinator
3. Lack of self-control
4. Your natural sleep patterns
5. Craving more personal time because there was a lack of it that day

Effects of Revenge Bedroom Procrastination

Check out this list of negative effects this phenomenon can give you, which consists of:

1. Fogged up memory
2. Being irritable
3. Feeling fatigued
4. Delaying your plans
5. Poor and slow learning skills

How to Avoid Revenge Bedroom Procrastination

Follow these handy tips to prevent this phenomenon from happening to you and affecting your sleeping patterns, schedule, and quality.

1 Avoid caffeine or big meals before going to sleep.

These factors can disrupt your sleep schedule and increase your tendency to engage in unnecessary activities at night. Hence, setting a cut-off time for food can help your body digest better. The same applies to drinking too much water, making you wake up in the middle of the night to relieve yourself. And if not, holding it in for hours long isn’t good for the bladder.

2 Set a bedtime.

Just like how you schedule meetings and plans with your friends, the same applies to going to bed. Having and following through with your bedtime gives you more urgency to finish whatever needs to be done, but also hints that it’s time to relax when you’re at least an hour before it.

This podcast episode by Mel Robbins shares that “If you want to sleep 8 hours, you have to be in bed for 9 hours.” It means that your body won’t automatically sleep once you’re in bed,  giving it around 20 minutes before your body naturally winds down. With that in mind, aim for a bedtime that allows for at least 7-9 hours of sleep each day. Then aim to get in bed just a little earlier so your body can naturally relax and transition to sleep.

3 Curate a “going to sleep” routine.

This routine happens after your evening routine, which lets you calm down and ease your mind for the night ahead. Moreover, the going-to-sleep routine has clearer cues that tell you, “hey, time to go to bed”. 

This routine can look like:

1. Turning off the lights and leaving a lamp on)
2. Lighting up a candle beside you even
3. Getting in bed
4. Reading a book in bed
5. Following a guided meditation for sleep

4 Keep your room cool and relaxing.

Your space can determine whether or not you’ll have great sleep. For instance, leaving a pile of mess before going to bed can lead to morning stress. Thus, it’s important to make your room cozier and tidier before going to bed. Aside from cleaning your mess, place a lamp with yellow lighting that’ll help you wind down. Turning on the AC or whatever cooling appliance you have also eases your body into a restful one.

5 Set a cut-off time for your tasks.

Whether those tasks are on any gadget or around the house, having a limit on them is a good boundary to set. It further shows that you value going to bed on time and early (on your terms). 

Some examples include:

1. Tidy your space by 8 pm (so do it as early as possible)
2. Put your phone away by 9 pm
3. No more laptop usage by 10 pm

Not only does having such limits put you in control, but it also helps develop self-trust and discipline to ensure they all follow through.

6 Make your bedroom a tech-free space.

Place your gadgets, like your phone, in a different room if possible. If it also serves as your alarm clock, place it somewhere really far in the bedroom. However, we encourage investing in an alarm clock to minimize any blue light exposure before going to bed and even as you wake up.

Takeaway

Revenge bedroom procrastination may be difficult to overcome as lots of things can happen during the day. Some of these may be unpredictable, affecting how you go about your evening. With that in mind, the first step you can take here is to be aware that you’re not getting good quality sleep and reflect on the different patterns you’ve noticed that contribute to it. 

Taking baby steps of action is better than nothing, and the more consistent and attentive you are during this journey, the more likely you are to fix your sleep schedule.

We wish you a good and healthy journey ahead of you to conquer this phenomenon and sleep better and earlier.

For more health and culture-related guides such as this one, check us out on the Lauvblog over here.