At some point, everyone knows they should be awake and in bed. Maybe he just needed to catch one more episode, was at a concert, or just needed some alone time.
But if you do it too often, the urge to stay awake can negatively affect your health.
We live in a highly networked world that puts pressure on people to stay engaged. There’s always an episode to watch or recommend, another text to reply to, another tweet to read, or another app to monitor the whole thing.
In addition, daily pressures and challenges make it difficult to make time for yourself. That hour often comes at the expense of sleep.
About 20 years ago, a group of researchers coined the term “bedtime procrastination” to describe people who go to bed later than planned even though they know it will pay a price in the future.
Not only can lack of sleep lead to fatigue, brain fog and an increased risk of accidents the next day, frequent sleep deprivation can also lead to weight gain, immune problems, heart disease, high blood pressure, depression and cognitive problems. may increase the risk of .
The study found that people who procrastinated significantly on sleep were more tired and generally slept less than those who didn’t.
Sleep is a pillar of health alongside exercise and nutrition.
One recent small study found that improving sleep motivation and changing behavior may help people overcome sleep procrastination. are as follows:
Identify the motivation for change. There is no procrastinating bedtime without positive aspects. That means enjoying the show and having the only quiet time of the day. But you wouldn’t be thinking about the cost the next day.
It’s essential to weigh the immediate gratification of being awake against how you’ll feel the next day.
Monitor your sleep patterns. It takes a week or two to figure out if procrastination is causing sleep problems.
Set realistic goals. Even if you know you need to be in bed by 10:30 p.m. to feel better the next day, if you usually go to bed at 1 a.m., it’s nearly impossible to cut your wake time by 2.5 hours at a time. Instead, take your time and go to bed 15-30 minutes earlier each night until you go to bed at 10:30.
be aware of barriers: If you’re feeling lonely and staying up late, you’re more likely to be preoccupied with social media and email at night. Paying attention to why it’s happening makes it easier to control.
