

The Utrecht researchers wanted to explore how procrastination behavior might affect health, and whether procrastinators were also less likely to do things like exercise and eat vegetables (as previous research has shown) because both behaviors are associated with poor self-control. He says people want to go to bed on time, and yet many don't. “It’s a longstanding puzzle in philosophy, since Aristotle: why it is that people fail to do what they know is good for them to do,” Joel Anderson, a researcher in Practical Philosophy who coined the term "bedtime procrastination," told Morais. The study was recently highlighted in an article by Betsy Morais in the New Yorker online. "Bedtime procrastination is defined as failing to go to bed at the intended time, while no external circumstances prevent a person from doing so," a team of researchers from Utrecht University write in a recent issue of the journal Frontiers in Psychology. If you're exhausted and you know you need to sleep, but can't bring yourself to close your laptop, get up off your couch, or stop organizing your kitchen cupboards, you may be a bedtime procrastinator. Sleep duration as a risk factor for the development of type 2 diabetes.Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders. Systematic review of light exposure impact on human circadian rhythm. Exploring relationships of eating and physical activity behaviors with sleep behaviors among adult weight loss participants. Association between reduced sleep and weight gain in women. How much sleep do we really need? (n.d.).How long should it take you to fall asleep? (n.d.).How does exercise help those with chronic insomnia? (n.d.).Sleep restriction enhances the daily rhythm of circulating levels of endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol. Meta-analysis of short sleep duration and obesity in children and adults. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy. We link primary sources - including studies, scientific references, and statistics - within each article and also list them in the resources section at the bottom of our articles. Medical News Today has strict sourcing guidelines and draws only from peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. Try relaxing alternatives: Instead of looking at screens, try taking a warm bath, reading a book, or meditating.įind more tips for getting better sleep here.Turn off TVs, smartphones, and tablets at least 2 hours before bed: The blue light that these devices can emit can suppress melatonin, a hormone necessary for asleep.Various white noise machines are available for purchase online. Drown out sound and light: Using earplugs, a white noise machine, and room-darkening curtains or window treatments can help.Avoid caffeine and nicotine: Avoid these stimulants later in the day, as both can take several hours or longer to leave the bloodstream, potentially interfering with sleep.Get exercise each day: Exercise may improve sleep quality and help people who have chronic insomnia.Be consistent: Going to bed and waking up at the same times every day helps the body develop a rhythm, which may make it easier to fall asleep and wake up feeling rested.Here are some ways to improve the quality and quantity of sleep: Other times, a person may need to put sleep ahead of other activities. Getting quality sleep sometimes requires only simple tweaks in a routine. To discover more evidence-based information and resources on the science of healthy sleep, visit our dedicated hub. If the body does not go through these stages several times a night, the person may wake feeling fatigued and unfocused. The brain becomes more active, the most dreaming occurs, and the arms and legs become temporarily paralyzed. REM sleep: Within 90 minutes of falling asleep, a person enters REM sleep.Breathing and heart rate slow to their lowest levels. Stage 3 non-REM: A person needs to reach this stage of deep sleep to feel rested, and it lasts longer in the first half of the night.The muscles relax even more, and body temperature drops. Stage 2 non-REM: This stage occurs before the body enters deep sleep.Breathing, heart rate, and brain waves begin to slow. Stage 1 non-REM: This lasts for only a few minutes.To be properly rested, the body must go through several sleep cycles per night, including rapid eye movement ( REM ) sleep and non-REM sleep.
