Bedtime Procrastination

Why we don't sleep when we know we should, and how to stop

In partnership with Loftie

This post was made possible by Loftie, a wellness company that makes products to help you rest and relax. This post was also made possible by the deep, phone-free sleep I got as a result of one such product: my beloved Loftie Clock (more on that below). This post was not made possible by my children interrupting that sleep with full-throated, early morning renditions of Shipping Up To Boston.¹²

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8 min read

One thing I love about psychology is that no topic is too niche. If it relates to human behavior, someone has probably studied it. See, for example: baby dance moves, whether our dogs can actually understand us, that thing where we repeatedly change lanes in traffic and then ask ourselves whether it’s actually saving us time (it’s not).

Another case in point? Bedtime procrastination.

It’s an all-too-familiar behavior. We spend our days looking forward to the moment we can rest our heads on the pillow and drift off to sleep. Then, nighttime arrives and we…don’t. We scroll social media. We watch TV. We read the latest Rebecca Yarros book. Time slowly ticks away, bedtime gets later and later, and by the time we eventually close our eyes, we’ve wasted away precious hours of sleep.³

I once assumed this behavior was the domain of Reddit discussions and viral Twitter/X threads, but once again, psychology research proved me wrong (hooray!)

So, let’s take a look at the research behind bedtime procrastination. Why do we do it? And how can we stop?

To the research!

One of the first appearances of this phrase in the academic research seems to be a 2015 seminal paper on bedtime procrastination.⁴ Since then, studies have shown that bedtime procrastination can lead to less sleep (duh), poorer sleep quality, and daytime tiredness.

Here’s an official definition from the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine:

Bedtime procrastination is the volitional delay of sleep in the absence of external factors, where one anticipates being worse off due to the delay.

In other words: we know it’s bad for us. There are no “external factors” (work, loud children) causing it. And yet, we do it anyway.

So, of course, the question is: why?

Why do we do this to ourselves?

A 2022 review of the research whose title begins Go to bed! A systematic review—which, okay, stop judging us—breaks down potential causes of bedtime procrastination.⁵

There are some unhelpful thinking patterns that can fuel bedtime procrastination. Any of these sound familiar?

• Focusing on the present over the future. Psychologists call this type of thinking “non-balanced time perspective.” We’re more likely to procrastinate bedtime when we have lower “future orientation,” or tendency to consider how our current actions will impact us later tonight, tomorrow, and farther down the road.

• Incorrect beliefs about willpower. Some people view their willpower as a limited resource that can be used up (e.g., I already forced myself to be nice to my boss and go to the gym, I can’t do anything else today!). In one fascinating study, researchers found that on stressful days, people who thought willpower was limited (vs. unlimited) were more likely to procrastinate bedtime. In other words, we have a stressful day and then getting to bed seems like yet another act of self-control we need to exert. I had a rough day! We think, I deserve this time to myself.

• “Procrastinatory” cognitions. Any procrastinators out there? You can answer that later.⁶ Procrastination often comes along with self-critical beliefs, like I should be more responsible and Why can’t I do what I should be doing? These are called “procrastinatory cognitions,” and when they pop up, they interfere with our ability to break the bedtime procrastination cycle.

Here are a few other factors that contribute to bedtime procrastination:

• Evening chronotype, a.k.a. being a “night person.” People with evening chronotypes tend to have better moods and more energy at nighttime, and to dislike mornings. People with morning chronotypes are the opposite. (Usually, they marry each other.) If you dread mornings, there’s a better chance you’ll put off going to bed.

• Bedtime routine aversion. We tend to procrastinate activities we dislike. So, if you feel annoyed by the many activities you need to do as part of your bedtime routine (brush teeth, put on PJs, 5-step skincare routine, etc.), bedtime procrastination is more likely.

• Excessive smartphone use. You knew this was coming! As techno sapiens are aware, our apps and games are often designed to keep us scrolling, with endless feeds, auto-playing videos, and algorithms that know exactly what will keep us watching. Who wants to go to bed when thousands of home organization videos are the alternative? Not me!⁷

So, what can we do?

Here’s how to tackle bedtime procrastination once and for all.

1. Identify your patterns.

One randomized controlled trial targeting bedtime procrastination had patients complete a “functional analysis,” a common cognitive-behavioral technique that involves identifying A (antecedents), B (behaviors), and C (consequences).

Here’s how to do it:

• Antecedents. Think through the situations, thoughts, and emotions that typically lead to you procrastinating bedtime. For example, maybe you (like me) plop down on the couch, start scrolling on your phone, and think this will help me relax.

• Behaviors: Identify the behavior that is actually happening during your bedtime procrastination. Phone scrolling? Reality TV watching? Standing in the kitchen with a 1000-yard stare, contemplating the state of the world?

• Consequences: Think about what is reinforcing your bedtime procrastination. What are you getting out of it? A chance to relax? Time to yourself?

Now, the key is to select alternative behaviors (instead of bedtime procrastination) that will serve the same “function.” So, if the goal is to relax, make a plan to read or take a bath instead of scroll. If the goal is to get some time for yourself, try to find 20-30 minutes during the day to do something that’s just for you.

2. Challenge your thinking

Remember those unhelpful thinking patterns? You’ll want to identify those, ask yourself whether they are actually true or useful to you, and then try coming up with alternative, more helpful thoughts. Here are some ideas:

• Old thought: I deserve this time to myself. New thought: I deserve to let myself get some sleep.

• Old thought: I can’t think about tomorrow right now. New thought: Going to bed now will make me feel better tomorrow.

• Old thought: Why do I always stay up too late? What’s wrong with me? New thought: This is a hard habit to break, but I can try something new at any time.

3. Set your environment up for success

Much of the research on bedtime procrastination is focused on “self-regulation,” but this is a tricky thing to manage. In most situations, it’s more effective to set our environments up for success than to try to muscle our way through a tempting situation with sheer willpower.

Here’s what that means when it comes to bedtime procrastination:

• Automate whatever you can. Remove decision-making in the moment by doing things like: schedule “sleep mode” on your phone (iPhone or Android); lay out pajamas in an easy-to-reach place; put lights on automatic dimmers; go to bed at roughly the same time each night.

• Remove your phone from the equation. As we saw, phones are one of the biggest contributors to bedtime procrastination. Try putting it across the room when you’re sitting on the couch, and, most importantly, keep it away from your bed. But wait, you say, I need my phone with me because I use it for music / meditation / white noise / alarms / etc.! An alarm clock is your friend. This one offers the basics (i.e., an alarm), but also makes it easy to do the other stuff (music, meditations, white noise), all while keeping your phone happily out of reach.

4. Make bedtime routines short and sweet

Long, elaborate, or chore-heavy routines can become “aversive,” leading us to put them off and stay up later. Keep your routine as simple as possible, and try to include something you look forward to. Maybe you read a book you love, use a fancy face cream, or get some new, extra-silky pajamas. When you’re feeling the urge to procrastinate, take just the first step of your bedtime routine to get started and create momentum.

Finally, try to incorporate something you look forward to in your morning routine, to increase motivation. Might I recommend coffee and reading Techno Sapiens?

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1. It’s been a few months since our friends at Loftie sent me the (very sleek and stylish) clock to test out, and I regret to report that in that time, I, myself, have remained exactly as sleek and stylish as I was before (that is to say, not at all). However! The Loftie Clock has improved my life in various ways, including: (1) No more phone next to my bed. If I’m in need of a last-minute, pre-sleep meditation due to a notification of cancelled childcare right before going to sleep (hypothetically), I can play one from the Loftie library. (2) A two-phase alarm. The gentle wake-up I did not know I needed. (3) A single-click “blackout mode” to turn off the time display and keep the room extra dark. So simple, but so handy! Check out the Loftie Clock here (and use discount code TECHNO20).

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3. One particular flavor of bedtime procrastination has made the rounds on social media in recent years. It’s called Revenge Bedtime Procrastination. The idea here is that, by staying up late, we’re rebelling against a lack of freedom in our busy lives. We’re taking “revenge” against our daily obligations and reclaiming control by finally doing what we want in the hours we should be sleeping.

4. I will never write the word “seminal” without thinking about the time, many years ago, when I submitted an academic paper to a journal focused on women’s psychology. In the paper, I used the word “seminal.” The paper was rejected, and the editor noted that the word “seminal” should be avoided because of its origin in the word semen. So just, you know, keep that in mind if you’re ever considering going into academia.

5. Of note, the Wikipedia entry for bedtime procrastination suggests that “One of the main factors in bedtime procrastination is human behavior.” Ah, yes. Always the humans, doing the behaviors. Gets them every time.

6. See what I did there? Ha!

7. I was unable to find any research on this, but I have to imagine that parents—who spend much of their days tending to their children’s needs—are particularly likely to feel that nighttime hours are the only time they have to themselves (and thus more likely to fall into the bedtime procrastination trap). Or maybe I’m just projecting?