How to overcome the bedtime procrastinator within you?
It’s 9.05pm and after a busy day at work she is sitting on the sofa scrolling through the Netflix menu searching for something to watch. Despite there being more choices than it would ever be humanly possible to watch she cannot find something that draws her in. So instead of TV she swaps to Facebook and mindlessly scrolls through. Next she proceeds to do the same with Instagram. All the while she is feeling increasingly fatigued and worn out. Her body and mind are giving her every clue possible to go to bed yet something stops her from getting up off the couch and heading to bed.
Photo credit: @entersge
Does this scenario feel familiar and resonate with you? If you know this situation for yourself it’s likely you are experiencing revenge bedtime procrastination (RBP). This is when you make a decision to sacrifice sleep for leisure when you have a schedule that is so busy you don’t have much free time. The ‘revenge’ part comes from the fact that we are taking revenge upon our busy day.
Bedtime procrastination can happen on the sofa or in your bed. If you’re someone who plays on their phone in bed and despite heavy eyelids continues to scroll or watch cute videos of cats you may also be your own victim of RBP.
Having a busy and demanding career can take up the majority of your time. Revenge bedtime procrastination is the result of trying to find time to relax, chill out and entertain yourself at the expense of sleep.
We all know how important sleep is to allow our bodies to rest, repair and re-energize yet we somehow allow this bedtime procrastination to keep us awake. We might be really motivated people at 9am in the morning but after a long day when we feel that we just need to sit down for a little while we become expert procrastinators!
So what can you do to prevent you being a revenge bedtime procrastinator? The answer is good sleep hygiene. Examples of good sleep hygiene include:
Try to get up and go to bed at a similar time every day 7 days a week.
Avoid caffeinated drinks at least 8 hours before bedtime. Have a ‘sleep’ tea.
Avoid alcohol in the late afternoon and evening.
Put your devices down at least 90 minutes before bed.
Listen to your body and it’s clues. If it’s telling you that you are tired, go to bed. Don’t fight it!
Try some relaxation techniques such as reading, bedtime meditation, having a bath or gentle stretching.
So next time you find yourself about to delay bedtime when you’re actually really tired don’t distract yourself with tv, devices or social media. Be strong and head to bed!
Photo credit: @julianhochgesang