What is sleep delay? How harmful is delaying sleep?

You've had a long tiring day, even though it's time to go to bed, but instead of going to sleep, you want to stay awake and alert, and are absorbed in watching a show or scrolling through social media. Even though you know you should go to sleep, you don't want to sleep yet. A lot of people are having these habits every day, a behavior known as - "revenge procrastination".

This can be said more clearly, when you have too many tasks during the day to perform and lack control over how you spend your day, you will "revenge" by staying up all night to have time. for yourself - even when just engaging in simple, low-stress activities like viewing social media. media or watching television.

In a way, there is nothing wrong or excessive when you have these activities, the point here, is the consequence of it, when you sacrifice a good night's sleep for them, it becomes problems with your mental and physical health. That's not to mention the fact that you are exposed to electronic screens with blue light at night, which interferes with healthy sleep, which is harmful to health.

"Revenge procrastination" has been described as a type of behavior, but it is not a recognized mental or sleep disorder like insomnia. People with insomnia often want to go to bed on time but can't. They may not be able to fall asleep normally like others, while delaying sleep is a deliberate choice because you feel like going to bed right away might be a waste of time for yourself.

Saba Harouni Lurie, a therapist at Take Root Therapy, says: 'If someone engages in bedtime delay for revenge, they probably won't have any real trouble falling asleep. sleep and sleep' Revenge procrastination before bedtime can also be grouped with other types of procrastination, because basically what you're doing is skipping something that should be done. A good example: some people stay up late looking at their phones or bingeing on their favorite shows, preferring to do it than going to bed right away, even though they may feel anxious for the next morning, but they keep doing it.

Sabrina Romanoff, PsyD, a clinical psychologist at a private practice, says: 'Part of what makes people who engage in these behaviors feel good is because they don't intrude on their productive work time. friend. The autonomy to spend time in a way that people know isn't 'good for them' has a rebellious part."

• Impaired function of the immune system.
• Learning ability and memory decline.
• Increased chances of developing anxiety or depression.
• Increased risk of heart disease
• Increased risk of car accident

Causes of procrastination before going to bed

According to a study from 2019, procrastinating before bed is more common among women and students - both of whom are likely to shoulder more responsibilities with childcare and schoolwork - but it It can also happen to anyone who doesn't have a lot of time to themselves during the day.

Harouni Lurie says: 'We all want to have some free time and sometimes the only free time we can get a hold of is the time that you accidentally steal it, which is sleep time. ."

• Have a stressful job
• There are many responsibilities in the family and parenting
• Exhausted from work, parenting, or other things
• Working long hours continuously
• You are a night owl

A study from 2014 found a moderate correlation between procrastination in general and engaging in bedtime procrastination for revenge. Accordingly, people who engage in procrastinator revenge may exhibit some common characteristics of procrastinators, such as:

• Perfectionist
• Impulsive personality
• Low level of commitment

To be more precise, not sleeping to have more time for your hobbies instead of not sleeping is because you cannot go to bed at a reasonable time due to an underlying health condition such as anxiety, depression, insomnia, ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) or thyroid condition. If you're worried that a physical problem is the reason you can't sleep, it's better to see your doctor for a checkup. But if you can still sleep a few days a week without delay, it may not be an issue to check.

The best way to overcome procrastination before bed for revenge is to resolve to stop procrastinating in bed. Easier said than done, of course. Here are some tried-and-true tips to kick procrastination for better sleep:

- Limit alcohol intake

This includes drinking sporadically and drinking alcohol within about 3 hours of bedtime. Or, best of all, avoid alcohol altogether, replacing it with some other delicious non-alcoholic drink.

- Stop drinking caffeine in the afternoon

It takes about ten hours for the body to completely remove caffeine from your system, so drinking coffee in the afternoon can affect your night's sleep.

- Build a routine before going to bed

Find something relaxing that slows you down an hour or two before bed. It could be things like a short walk, a hot shower, or some quiet music.

- Create a favorable environment for sleep

Start turning off the lights or leaving the lights dim in the room before going to bed, the ideal temperature for sleep is between 16 and 23 degrees Celsius. This will help the body produce melatonin, a hormone that helps you fall asleep.

- Avoid using electronic screens in bed

It's time to give up this bad habit because this is also what people who procrastinate do.

These tips may not solve the problem, you can still continue to delay sleep because the underlying cause of this is that you do not have enough time and autonomy for yourself, still exist there. If that's the case, continue to consider evaluating your priorities. First, determine what you want to have more time for during the day, such as family, hobbies, or something else. Then, go ahead and take a detailed look at the tasks that are consuming the most of your time and see if there's a way to reorganize or redistribute them so that there's real time to what you want. or not.

Harouni Lurie says: 'You can still delay sleep sometimes to satisfy your own needs and if this is only occasional it is perfectly acceptable, but if your needs are met on During the day, you may not be interested in staying up at night."

If you've done all of the above and are still having trouble procrastinating even after a few weeks, it's a good idea to see a therapist to help you understand and resolve any concerns. any underlying problem causing this disease.