Why People Struggle With Sleep: Revenge Bedtime Procrastination 101

by: Maria Alyssia, MCouns&PsychTh

Clinical Psychologist Personal Growth

An explanation to why you should say no to the little devil on your shoulder that is telling you
to watch another episode of your favorite drama at 3 in the morning.

Many people can relate to the feeling of 24 hours in a day not being enough. Between
managing our responsibilities at school/work, home, and other activities that are part of our
daily life, it is uncommon to crawl into bed wishing that we could still have time to ourselves.
How easy it would be to then convince ourselves that there won’t be any harm to taking a
quick look through Instagram, or watching a short video on YouTube. But then those minutes
turned into hours and, before we know it, it is almost time for us to get up. And with this new
day, the cycle repeats once again.

This is a phenomenon called revenge bedtime procrastination, when people who otherwise
don’t have much autonomy over their daytime tasks decide to sacrifice sleep in the name of
“stealing back their freedom” during the late hours (Suni & Dimitriu, 2023). While this may be
enjoyable at the moment (and truthfully, I’m guilty of doing this as well in the past), it’s no
secret that this unhealthy habit can bring a lot of negative impacts in the long term – especially
towards our mental health!

One of the things I consistently drill into the young people I see is how sleep is the backbone
of our mood and energy (BetterHealth, n.d.). When we aren’t sleeping well, we are more prone
to:
● Daytime sleepiness
● Poor concentration
● Mood changes (i.e. depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, etc.)
● Chronic illnesses (i.e. diabetes, hypertension, or cardiovascular conditions); and having
a lower overall immunity

These go on to influence our ability to function in our day-to-day life, and subsequently the
quality of our performance across different settings. Our grades may start to decline, or we
would fall behind in our work, leading us to take up more time to catch up. We would
experience difficulties in maintaining our relationships with family and friends. We may also lose
interest in activities that once brought a lot of joy in us. The cumulative stress from all of these
events could build upon our urge to postpone our bedtime even longer.

Ultimately, this “revenge” only ends in us being trapped in a never-ending loop of exhaustion,
until we eventually burn ourselves out. And trust me, that is a hole you never want to get
yourselves into. So, if you have reached this point of the article, you might be thinking “Yes, this
is exactly why I’m so sleep-deprived! Now tell me how I can escape it”. But the truth of the
matter may not be as simple. This is a problem that can run much deeper than the need to
build your time management skills and improve your bedtime routines. Sometimes, it requires
you to take a step back and reflect on what you value in life (Cleveland Clinic, 2021).
What does this mean? There are a lot of instances when we find it important to sustain our
health, or set aside time for our loved ones; yet spend the vast majority of our waking moments
preoccupied with upcoming deadlines and tending to demanding superiors/clients at work.
When this lack of fulfillment and autonomy occurs on a regular basis, it makes us more
vulnerable to negative coping mechanisms such as revenge bedtime procrastination. Hence,
it is the gap between our actions and priorities or values that are often at the root of our need
for control.

Therefore, beyond making sure that one has helpful life habits and strategies on how to
maximize our time, it is just as crucial for youths to consider whether they are spending time on
the things or people that actually matter. Now, that’s something which we all need to answer
and figure out for ourselves — for our own good. Although people can evaluate their daily
tasks and research practical strategies to enhance their routines on their own, seeing clinical
psychologists for further help is needed if:
● You aren’t sure of what steps to take in ensuring that you’re caring for yourself better
in the long run
● The delay in your bedtime continues despite your efforts to change things up.

In fact, part of the work we do in therapy is to support people in becoming more aware of
their personal priorities, and redesigning their lives to better suit them. So, Growthmates,
remember that you don’t have to figure things out alone! Please don’t hesitate to reach out
to us on +62 818-0809-0395 for a counseling session.

References
BetterHealth Channel. (n.d.). Sleep deprivation. Retrieved from from
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/sleep-deprivation
Cleveland Clinic. (November 17, 2021). Is Sleep Procrastination Keeping You up at Night? Retrieved from
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/revenge-bedtime-procrastination/
Suni, E., & Dimitriu, A. (November 2, 2023). What is “Revenge Bedtime Procrastination”? Retrieved from
https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-hygiene/revenge-bedtime-procrastination