Do you ever tell yourself you’re going to go to sleep at a reasonable hour but suddenly find dozens of things to do that keep you awake?
If so, you may be suffering from something called revenge bedtime procrastination.
The term comes from a Chinese saying about an absence of free time due to our hectic work and life schedules and describes the decision to sacrifice sleep for leisure time because of our lack of free time.
Studies show that it can lead to poor self-regulation, and as you might be able to guess, this is something that’s more prevalent now than ever,
That means retailers need to be ready to talk to customers about this sleep issue and explain what we know about it.
Here are a few quick talking points you can use:
- Bedtime procrastination can be described in three main ways.
- Going to sleep so late that it reduces your total sleep time
- Staying up later than intended for no real reason
- Knowing that delaying your bedtime could lead to negative consequences
- There isn’t a lot of information about sleep procrastination, but the known lack of self-regulation probably occurs because this happens at the end of your day when you’re most tired.
There are any number of problems that can be caused by bedtime procrastination, from sleep deprivation to negative effects on health as well as irritability and other difficulties regulating emotions. And we know that lack of sleep is tied to mental health disorders, such as depression and anxiety. - The “revenge” part comes into play because it’s as if you’re so angry that you’re stressed all day that essentially take it out on your sleep schedule by giving yourself more free time.
- One study found that students and women were the most likely candidates for bedtime procrastinators, likely because of the stress they face and the unique challenges they face each day. However, it can also be prevalent in people who procrastinate in other aspects of their life.
The more knowledge there is out there about potential sleep issues, the better retailers can help customers not only find the best sleep system for customers but also potentially solve the sleep issues they’ve been struggling with for years.
