Revenge Bedtime Procrastination – What is it all about?

Do you stubbornly stay up late into the wee hours of the night, for no significant reason? And just because you think you didn’t get any time for yourself all day?

Do you trade night sleep for some ‘me-time’?

Do you avoid night sleep while still ‘craving’ for it?

Then, this article is for you. Read on to know more about ‘Revenge Bedtime Procrastination’

What is Bedtime Procrastination?

Researchers from Utrecht University, Netherlands first defined the term ‘Bedtime Procrastination’ as ‘failing to go to bed at the intended time, while no external circumstances prevent a person from doing so.’
Though it calls for just a simple act of discipline to shut off everything and go to bed, there had and has been a tendency to sleep late’ that is now cropping up so widely across the world. This phenomenon has also got a hard-hitting name, given by the Chinese, a couple of years after the research.

What is Revenge Bedtime Procrastination?

Two years later, since the first definition was out, the Chinese social media platforms were abuzz with this new term – ‘Revenge Bedtime Procrastination’. The literal translation meant ‘suffering through the night vengefully’. It became even more popular after a journalist from Taiwan tweeted about it in the mid of 2020 – ‘a phenomenon in which people who don’t have much control over their daytime life refuse to sleep early in order to regain some sense of freedom during the late-night hours’.

So many people around the world could personally connect with the phenomenon described. A name attached to a personal behavior was considered a relief.
That is how the term got coined and forced its way into the world for reasons totally unhealthy and unacceptable. People tend to think that they are ‘stealing back their time not spent on or for themselves’ at night avenging their night’s sleep.

You can almost hear them say, “I won’t go to bed unless I feel satisfied that I have given some time for myself today, for the dawn indicates another day’s battle with time.”

Though this term was initially expressed by the Chinese, this phenomenon as such has acquired worldwide traction more during 2020, where the human race was burning themselves out due to stress caused by so many factors.

Why is it Referred to as ‘Revenge’?

Revenge Bedtime Procrastination basically implies the refusal to sleep early or at least on time, in response to stress or an absence of free time or me-time during the day.

The addition of the word ‘Revenge’ to the term ‘Bedtime Procrastination’ reveals an altogether different perspective to sleeping late, making us introspect as to why do we do it. The straight answer can just be to have time for oneself that has not been available during the day and the only option left is to procrastinate the bedtime to get it, because that is deemed as the only thing within our control. This reflects the frustration of the person having long stressful hours during the day with little or no time for him/herself.

That’s how the word ‘Revenge’ got prefixed to the term, solely meaning that one takes revenge on his/her bedtime to get that extra time for oneself, amidst the feelings of guilt and self-loathing to be awake so late into the night, eating into his/her sleep time.

What are the Signs?(1)

• Get perked up once the family (spouse/kids) has gone to bed.

• Have social media apps on the phone’s home screen

• Use convincing arguments like ‘Night time is the only available me-time’ or ‘I need some time for myself to keep me sane’ or ‘The only time I get for myself is when the kids are asleep as they keep me busy all day’.

 

What are the Behaviours Related to it?

• Delaying bedtime

• The absence of a valid reason for being awake for a longer time during the night

• An awareness that delaying bedtime would have negative consequences

• Increased screen time at night (to catch even the last message and the last bit of news at the end of the day)

What are the Consequences?

The worrisome consequences of this phenomenon are fundamentally those that arise out of sleeplessness, that is uncontrollable and unmanageable at the same time.

Some Immediate Consequences are:

• Sleep Deprivation
• Irritability
• Low on stamina; Fatigue
• Lessened productivity
• Reduced Focus or Concentration
• Drowsy driving
• Feeling sleepy during the day

Some Long-Term Consequences are:

• Increased stress due to increased fatigue
• Negative effects on mental health leading to depression and anxiety
• Reduced immunity
• Diminished memory and decision-making capability
• Ill effects on physical health leading to metabolic disorders and cardiovascular problems

What is the Psychology Behind it? (2)

Sleep procrastination is still an emerging idea in sleep science as it is more prevalent in recent years.

There is an intention-behavior gap observed in people who engage in bedtime procrastination. They generally want to receive sleep, but fail to do so.

One explanation for this gap is a failure in self-regulation. The capacity for self-regulation is lowest at the end of the day, which may lead to sleeping late rather than taking control over the need to sleep.

One may, in fact, try to take control over the time available and not over oneself.

Another explanation is that sleep procrastination may result from people who have an evening chronotype. This means (propensity for the individual to sleep at a particular time during a 24-hour period) called a ‘night owl’. Such people may tend to have a natural circadian rhythm which facilitates fewer characteristics of an ‘early bird’ and more of that of the ‘night owl’.

In revenge bedtime procrastination, sacrificing sleep for leisure time may also be seen as an attempt to find lost time in response to stress.

How Do We Stop It?

The best remedy to stop revenge bedtime procrastination is to have a healthy sleep routine. Proper set routines make your body attuned to certain rights and wrongs and adherence to it would be a high priority, come what may.

One may feel that the above is easier said than done. For those, a recommendation would be to take conscious revenge during the daytime, when there is still light, instead of taking revenge at bedtime. A short ten-minute or fifteen-minute break, between work or when the kids are asleep, is a good way to unwind. Also, whenever one can squeeze in that needed time, to unwind and do something of your choice. That would provide a sense of fulfillment that you do have a little me-time during the day, although tiny.

Also, one needs to be aware that the best me-time one can give to her/himself is a good amount of sleep. A good eight hours of sleep a day can do wonders! Care should be taken not to fall into a vicious cycle of sleeplessness. The feeling of being overworked leads to fatigue and loss of stamina and loss of me-time. This eventually leads to taking revenge on your sleep time, which again takes a toll on your sleep schedule. (Uff!)

Relaxation methods like meditation, gentle stretching, etc., and a conducive sleep space also help to decrease the stress caused by revenge bedtime procrastination.

Some Positive Sleep Habits Include (3):

• Having a consistent bedtime and wake-time on all days, irrespective of holidays.

• Avoiding alcohol or caffeine late in the afternoon or the evenings.

• Avoiding the use of electronic devices – cell phones, tablets, etc., – at least half an hour before bedtime.

• Developing a stable routine every night to prepare for bed.

More screen time close to bedtime, especially in a completely dark environment, reduces melatonin in the body. Melatonin is mainly responsible for inducing sleep.

To conclude, we need to actually understand that revenge bedtime procrastination is a kind of self-harming behavior. Such behaviors are exhibited only to gain a sense of control, in this case, over one’s own life. Take control of the time during the day, in however minimal ways possible. This will help to gradually put an end to a procrastinated sleep schedule.

Do let us know in the comments if this article sounds relatable. We look forward to reading your valuable inputs!

References (1) – https://alessandraedwards.com/
References (2) (3):- https://www.sleepfoundation.org/