Some people are killing sleep to make time for leisure, a growing trend among poor sleepers

Indians are not sleeping well, with a high percentage of them getting less than six hours of uninterrupted sleep, a survey has found out.

A survey published in the LocalCircles was tracking sleep hygiene among Indians since 2022, finding the percentage of citizens not sleeping well rose from 50 to 61 percent in the last two years.

Interruptions observed were many, including sleep interrupted by calls or messages, having to use the washroom, uncomfortable bed, exposure to light or sound, having medical conditions like sleep apnea and some other unexplainable causes.

Over the years, a new trend in sleeping hygiene has been observed among people who might deliberately kill sleep to buy time for leisure. The term ‘Revenge Bedtime Procrastination’ gained popularity among the Chinese but the phenomenon is widespread.

A study based on procrastination acknowledged that failing to go to bed at the intended time when no external circumstances prevent a person from sleeping is contributing to insufficient sleep and negative health outcomes.

What is revenge bedtime procrastination

Sleep procrastination is a relatively new concept in sleep science, with experts still trying to understand its causes.

The interception of work into leisure hours, poor work-life balance and daytime stress are associated with a person trying to reduce sleeping hours to make up for lost leisure activities they couldn’t do during the day. It could be online shopping, movie watching, scrolling social media, playing online games or engaging in any other activity that could distract one from sleeping.

Most people engaging in sleep procrastination are well aware of the harmful effects of delaying sleep but still choose to do it, experts have said.

The term ‘revenge sleeping procrastination’ signals retaliation against the time lost during the day which could be used for activities other than work. 

Some studies show the people engaging in sleep procrastination want to sleep but their behaviour doesn’t align with the intention.

Is it sleep procrastination or insomnia?

The two sleep-related phenomena might present themselves as similar, however, experts say they are not the same.

Sleep procrastination is a voluntary delaying or postponing sleep hours to avoid emotional distress. Insomnia, on the other hand, is a person not being able to sleep even if they want to.

However, experts say insomnia can lead to procrastination if a person deliberately delays going to bed to avoid the discomfort associated with an inability to sleep.

A study published in Sleep Medicine Research shows that people who make a great effort to sleep are probably those who overthink about sleep and sometimes they are likely to postpone bedtime because they believe they can’t sleep.