This may sound familiar? Because I feel your pain.
Utrecht University, the Netherlands, has defined bedtime procrastination as the inability to get to sleep at the time and place that is most convenient for you. You can’t fall asleep, but you won’t go to sleep.
I asked my friends who post on social media late at nights and early in the morning, what keeps them awake. Some people can’t stop binge-watching. Many people reported that it is reading about current events that makes them sleepy. All of the parents I spoke to felt that the hours they spend reading about current events are their only me time.
This is something we all know is harmful. Insufficient sleep can have a negative impact on our immune system, raise our risk of developing heart disease, cancer, lower our libidos and increase our weight. It can also affect our processing skills, memory, and processing speed. How can we get rid of this habit?
- Julie Gray, PCOC/PCC plans her day backwards. She first calculates when she wants to go to bed, then figures out when she should stop working to have enough decompression time.
- Establishing pre-bedtime rituals can signal to your brain that it is time to get to bed. Warm baths or a cup of tea can help you get your body into a calm mode.
- You can make a list of all the things that you do when you procrastinate at bedtime and then fix those habits. Consider implementing a no news-after-9 p.m. rule to prevent you from reading the news every night.
- The National Sleep Foundation recommends that you sleep well because the blue light emitted from our digital devices suppresses your melatonin. Give yourself at least 30 minutes of screen-free time prior to bed. If you are unable or unwilling to give up your pre-bed screen time, my therapist suggests that you get a pair blue light-blocking sunglasses to reduce the effects. Many online retailers sell non-prescription glasses for as low as €70.
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It is difficult to stop procrastinating in bed at night.However, those nights when I go to bed on schedule and get a good night’s sleep, I will admit to feeling a difference in my mood throughout the day. Let’s learn to work together and turn off the TV so we can go straight up to bed.
