After a tiring day of work, why do you still try to stay up all night scrolling on your phone?

There is a very catchy name for this psychological effect. Scientists call it "Sleep Delay with Revenge" . But in the end, what are you taking revenge on?

Things to know about sleep delay syndrome

Have you ever been in this situation? After a tiring day of work, from morning to night, you come home to have a quick meal, clean the house, take a shower, and then night has fallen.

Your body is tired, your eyes are closed, but instead of falling into a good sleep, you try to stay awake and scroll through your phone. You open each social networking application, scroll through each row of notifications that have accumulated throughout the day, trying to see all the photos and short videos that your friends have posted.

Everything is still the same, nothing interesting. Your eyes are tired now but you still try to prop them up, praying that with the next swipe of your thumb something interesting will jump out of the screen, adding a little dopamine into your life and making you feel better. it becomes fresh.

Your eyes are closed, but instead of falling asleep, you try to stay awake and scroll through your phone. (Illustration).

But eventually your brain gets tired. It itself seems to no longer have the strength to tolerate the excitement of Facebook, Instagram and Tiktok. It's past 12 o'clock at night and you feel like you're sinking into an endless loop.

You fall asleep unconsciously, with your phone still bright in your hand, Youtube running from one video to another, until morning.

The phone alarm sounds like a verdict for your puffy eyes and tired body that doesn't want to leave your bed. That's when you blame yourself: Why didn't I go to bed earlier last night?

Today will be another tiring working day. And when you get home, you quickly eat dinner, clean the house, take a shower, and lie down on your phone again. 

Youtube goes from one video to another in my sleep. That loop keeps going back and forth endlessly, with no way to escape.

Bedtime procrastination (BP): The effect of delaying sleep

If you see your image in the story above, chances are you're suffering from a psychological effect called " Bedtime procrastination " or " sleep delay."

This effect was first described in a 2014 scientific article, published in the journal Personality and Social Psychology. In it, scientists from the Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands describe a procrastination phenomenon that they consider to be completely new.

Before that, psychologists only talked about procrastination at work, when someone deliberately postpones an unpleasant task they have to do - for example, doing homework, meeting a deadline. - due to psychology. anxiety and stress when about to start it.

Now, it turns out, even going to bed - an activity that brings comfort - can be put off by us. Psychologists consider it extremely strange.

People with poor self-control also often delay their sleep. (Illustration).

Surveys in this study showed that nearly 30% of respondents slept less than 6 hours per night. About 84% said they felt they slept too little or were tired at least one day a week. Nearly half of them, or 40%, said this usually lasts for a series of 3-4 consecutive days per week.

The strange thing is that the more tired a person is during the day, the more he or she is in the group that sleeps less, instead of having to sleep more to regain strength. People with poor self-control who often procrastinate on daily activities also often procrastinate their sleep.

" Sleep procrastination is defined as the failure to go to bed at a scheduled time , in the absence of any external circumstances that prevent a person from doing so ," the researchers wrote.

"An interesting aspect of sleep procrastination is that while procrastination is often associated with aversive tasks, going to sleep is often not included in that group of aversive behaviors. So, we guess the problem isn't that people don't want to go to sleep, but that they just don't want to give up other activities they could be doing."

For what? Dill is for revenge ®

That's right, the term " Bedtime procrastination " or " sleep delay " has been defined since 2014, but it wasn't until 2020 that the prefix " Revenge " was added to the front.

Daphne K. Lee, a Chinese-American journalist, was the first to coin the perfect term " Revenge Bedtime Procrastination " (RBP) or " Revenge Sleep Procrastination " in June 2020.

After she noticed the phenomenon of Chinese youth, who are working under the 996 model (from 9 am to 9 pm and 6 days a week), often staying up late to use their phones, Lee decided to wrote on Twitter that:

" Learned a very easy term today: "報復性熬夜" (revenge sleep procrastination), a phenomenon in which people who don't have much control over their daytime lives refuse to Go to bed early to regain the feeling of freedom during the night hours."

Illustration.

It turns out that when we are caught up in the whirlwind of responsibilities to others during the day , like working at the company to fulfill responsibilities to the boss, doing housework to fulfill responsibilities to our wife, husband, and father, Mothers, children, we often lose control and feel like we don't have time for ourselves.

At night, when all those obligations are first laid down, it's the only moment we feel like we have time for ourselves. Compensatory psychological mechanisms will motivate us to do what we want, to " revenge " for the time we lost during the day.

For people with healthy behaviors, they will exercise, read books or reward themselves with sleep. But in an age surrounded by temptations like smartphones, social media or a new series being advertised on Netflix, taking time for yourself can be as simple as swiping through your phone for a get easy doses of dopamine.

At night, when all obligations are let down, it's also time for you to have time for yourself. (Illustration).

The authors of the 2014 study also commented: " With the development of electronic devices and today's 24/7 entertainment industry, people face more distractions than some decade ago.

Dealing with these distractions can be a major cause of sleep procrastination, making it more difficult for procrastinators to stick to their schedule. So sleep procrastination may be a relatively modern phenomenon, making research on this topic very topical."

Who is most likely to be affected?

According to psychology researchers, the people most susceptible to the revenge sleep delay effect are those with the highest need for revenge. They are busy most of the time during the day , such as students, workers, parents with young children.

A 2019 study published in the journal Frontiers in Neuroscience found that women are more susceptible to this phenomenon than men , and people who often stay up late and are night owls are more likely to suffer from the psychology of not sleeping for revenge than others. Normal.

A study in the Journal of American College Health said that about 1/3 of students have this problem, due to the academic pressure placed on them.

Meanwhile, a 2014 study said: " Procrastination is a common phenomenon and causes many problems. Its popularity is reflected in impressive numbers, such as up to 46% of students college students report procrastinating on specific academic tasks, and about 10% of adults in the general population are chronic procrastinators.

" Sleep procrastination was inversely linked to self-control and self-regulation: people who scored lower on the self-control index test reported more frequent sleep procrastination.

For one, delaying going to bed is a problem that is especially likely to occur in a state where one has little mental energy or self-control, because the decision to go to bed is inherently made at the end of the day. days when self-control is often weaker.

According to researchers, there are 3 signs that you are suffering from the revenge sleep delay effect, including:

1. You often go to bed late, making your total sleep time each night shorter than 7 hours 
2. You have no legitimate reason to delay sleep, no work to do, no deadline to meet at night, no need to stay up to look after the children. you simply don't want to sleep. 
3. You fully know that sleeping late can have negative consequences, making you feel tired the next day, but you still choose to do it.

What are the consequences of that?

In fact, sleep procrastination can start with a very small desire. You may think that you should take some time for yourself, play games on your phone or surf Facebook or Tiktok for 15 minutes and then go to bed.

But the addictive nature of today's social media platforms often stretches those 15 minutes into an hour. Furthermore, blue light from electronic devices such as phones, televisions, and computers can continue to disrupt your sleep and make it difficult to sleep, even after "revenge" is complete.

What are the consequences of that?

Sleep delay causes shorter sleep time and increases fatigue throughout the next day. (Illustration).

A meta-analysis found that sleep delay is associated with poorer sleep quality , shorter sleep duration, and increased fatigue throughout the next day. People who delay sleep often show signs of restlessness, loss of concentration, and loss of self-control.

Lack of sleep continues to cause other mental health problems such as memory loss, " brain fog" or "brain fog syndrome " that makes you unable to remember anything, lose concentration and reduce ability to sharp thinking.

This can easily cause you to make wrong decisions the next working day, increasing feelings of anxiety, stress, discomfort, and irritability.

If sleep deprivation is left untreated, long-term consequences can include cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, weakened immune system, hormone problems and mental health problems such as depression.

How to get over it?

Now, if you find yourself among those caught in the vortex of the revenge sleep delay effect, the good news is that experts have some strategies that can help you get out of it. Kendra Cherry, a psychosocial rehabilitation expert and author of the book "All-in-One Psychology" offers 6 suggestions:

1. Make sleep a special priority 

If your goal is rest, the first thing you can do is put sleep at the top of your to-do list. Remind yourself why it's important to go to bed on time. If you get more rest, the next day you will have the energy to complete the tasks that need to be completed earlier and have more time for yourself.

2. Practice good sleep habits 

Turn your nightly sleep into a healthy ritual or habit. For example, go to bed on time and wake up at the same time, every day of the week, including holidays. Research shows that establishing this sleep schedule will teach your body a good sleep pattern, and you will be healthier.

Additionally, you should avoid drinking coffee, alcohol or using other stimulants, including blue light from phone screens at night.

3. Organize your schedule 

Since busy schedules are often at the root of sleep procrastination, you should take a close look at your daily needs and responsibilities. Cut out tasks that are unimportant or take up all your time. If daytime activities leave you unsatisfied and unfulfilled, skip them if possible.

You'll be less likely to feel the need to seek revenge for lost time, if you don't feel resentful about losing those precious hours of your day.

4. Take time for yourself 

 Cut out tasks that are unimportant or take up all your time. (Illustration).

Since you're cutting things out of your schedule, focus on replacing those unwanted activities with time for yourself during the day. This is not always easy, especially for parents with young children or busy workers who cannot afford to give up their duties and responsibilities.

But, there is a way to deal with this. Ask someone—maybe a co-worker, parent, friend, nanny, or partner—who can temporarily take over some of your responsibilities while you enjoy some time off. me .

5. Start your evening earlier 

Another way to combat sleep procrastination is to start your nightly routine earlier. Set your alarm an hour before you start getting ready for bed. Taking extra time to relax can help you feel more sleepy, which can help you resist the urge to stay up late.

6. Turn off your phone

Phones are the enemy of sleep. You may want to turn it off or even keep it out of your bedroom if you want to get to the root of your sleep delay problem. Instead of using your phone, practice some relaxing habits that will allow you to promote sleep, such as meditation, gentle stretching, or reading.

Hopefully these strategies can help you escape the cycle of revengeful sleep procrastination. Don't forget that there will be a worthy reward waiting for you outside that spiral, you will no longer wake up tired every morning, you will find every day full of energy, and you will find yourself having time. live for yourself.