Combating Revenge Bedtime Procrastination

By Zoe Chambers-Daniel, ​Taproot Therapy Clinical Trainee

The recommended amount of sleep for adults is 7 to 9 hours, and in a post COVID world where the boundaries between work and home are increasingly getting blurred, this suggestion can be challenging to maintain. Daily demands often leave very little time to experience simple pleasures such as reading, watching a comfort show, or talking to a friend. The time that would be used to get ready for bed becomes the only time we can identify to take back some control. After all the work we did, we can now scroll on our phones, or binge-watch the show we didn’t have time for. This phenomenon is known as Revenge Bedtime Procrastination (Kroese et al., 2014; Liang, 2022). Although there is a conscious effort to take back some control over our time, there are also adverse effects. When we replace much needed sleep with leisure activities on a regular basis, our cognitive abilities decline, our immune systems weaken, and we are more likely to experience irritability. These effects make it harder to show up at work and creates a cycle of exhaustion despite the valid need for autonomy (Kamphorst et al., 2018; Kroese et al., 2018). So, how can we combat Revenge Bedtime Procrastination without sacrificing that need for control in our daily schedules? Let’s review these crucial tips to start making a routine that works for us: 


Prioritize Consistency 
Remember the recommended amount of sleep for adults is 7 to 9 hours. You know yourself best so start thinking about where you exist on this range. You may even need 10 hours to have a truly productive day. Once you understand the amount of sleep you need to show up at your best,
line that up with the time you need to wake up each morning. This will be the time you aim to be in bed. Going to bed and waking up at the same time each morning creates consistency. Sounds simple right? Not always. Our environment can set us up for success or create more barriers to getting ready for bed. 


Practice Sleep Hygiene 
Now that you have identified the time you need to go to bed to wake up feeling refreshed, we need to figure out how to prepare for bed. Creating a boundary for yourself where your bed is just for sleeping is crucial. Work is done outside of the bed, even reading. Creating that simple association of bed being solely for sleep can make it easier to wind down once you get in. The 
sensory environment is also important in getting ready for bed. Keeping a cool quiet environment is generally best practice for inducing restful sleep. Remember, you know yourself best. Think of factors in your home that relax you and incorporate that into your routine. 


Incorporate Autonomy into Your Schedule 
When thinking about the contributing factors that lead people to experience Revenge Bedtime Procrastination, autonomy is the leading one. If you relate to this, you probably lead a busy life with little room for leisure activities. Reframing how we view control in our daily lives can help us combat this phenomenon. Finding wiggle room where you have 15 minutes to watch part of a show you love, getting a sweet treat from a cafe, or calling a loved one, can make a big difference in our day. So when we are off the clock, the need to get revenge is reduced.


Make Revenge Bedtime Procrastination Work For You 
There will be days when the need for control during bedtime is much too great and we succumb to the nighttime procrastination. That is completely alright. We can make this phenomenon work for us. Using the tips listed above, Revenge Bedtime Procrastination can be a once in a while occurrence instead of a daily one. We lead busy lives and oftentimes our work schedules can’t be changed. Extending grace to ourselves, and acknowledging that sleep is something we don’t have to deprive ourselves of to feel pleasure is the first step in combating Revenge Bedtime Procrastination.
​

References 
Kamphorst, B. A., Nauts, S., De Ridder, D. T. D., & Anderson, J. H. (2018). Too depleted to turn in: The relevance of end-of-the-day resource depletion for reducing bedtime procrastination. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 252. 
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00252 
Kroese, F. M., Adriaanse, M. A., Evers, C., Anderson, J., & De Ridder, D. (2018). Commentary: Why don’t you go to bed on time? A daily diary study on the relationships between chronotype, self-control resources and the phenomenon of bedtime procrastination. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 915. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00915 
Kroese, F. M., De Ridder, D. T. D., Evers, C., & Adriaanse, M. A. (2014). Bedtime procrastination: Introducing a new area of procrastination. Frontiers in Psychology, 5, 611. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00611 
Liang, L. (2022, February 25). The psychology behind “revenge bedtime procrastination.” https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20201123-the-psychology-behind-revenge-bedtime -procrastination