Gen Z, stop procrastinating your bedtime
We all have those moments of extreme lethargy when we wake up and all we want to do is stay snuggled up in bed for hours.
Gen Z has even turned it into a social media trend known as 'bed rotting.'
But if getting out of bed becomes a daily struggle or is associated with chronic fatigue, this difficulty can become worrying and, in some cases, even a sign of depression.
But endlessly putting off going to bed could be a cause for concern too, especially among young people, according to a new study published in the journal Sleep and presented at the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS), which took place recently in the United States.
The study looked at a group of 390 young adults with an average age of 24.
Participants were asked to keep a sleep diary for 14 days and fill out several questionnaires to better understand their emotions and determine their chronotype, a term used to describe whether someone is more of a 'morning person' or a 'night owl.'
The aim was to assess their procrastination at bedtime, i.e. delaying going to sleep without this being related to external obligations or constraints (such as working late or being away from home).
Although delaying going to bed can be explained by other factors, such as poor time management or a lack of self-discipline, the survey results suggest that it may also be associated with recurrent anxiety or even depressive tendencies.
The responses of volunteers with a strong tendency to procrastinate at bedtime reflect a higher level of neuroticism (a tendency to experience negative emotions), as well as lower levels of conscientiousness and extraversion.
'Our study demonstrated that individuals who habitually procrastinate their bedtime were actually less likely to report seeking out exciting, engaging, or enjoyable activities,' says lead author Steven Carlson, a doctoral candidate in the psychology department at University of Utah in Salt Lake City, in a news release.
In light of these findings, the researcher suggests exploring emotional health as a potential target for interventions aimed at addressing the problem of bedtime procrastination.
'Given the ubiquity of this behaviour, and its impact on sleep health, we hope to extend this research to determine whether reducing negative emotions prior to bedtime can be an effective treatment for bedtime procrastination,' the researcher says. – AFP Relaxnews
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
4 hours ago
- The Sun
Prehistoric woman Mos'anne brought to life by artists and scientists
ARNHEM: With striking blue eyes and a nervous expression, the reconstructed bust of Mos'anne, a woman who lived around 10,500 years ago, offers an eerily lifelike glimpse into the past. Created through a collaboration between science and art at Belgium's Ghent University, the project aims to explore the lives of the region's last hunter-gatherers during the Mesolithic era. Lead researcher Isabelle de Groote explained the significance of the project. 'Part of the project is also understanding the genetics of these people, figuring out their kinship and so on, and to be able to really translate the science that we do to a wider audience.' Mos'anne's skull, exceptionally well-preserved and rich in DNA, was chosen for reconstruction. Genetic analysis revealed she belonged to the Western hunter-gatherer group, known for dark skin and blue eyes, similar to Britain's Cheddar Man. Dutch paleo-artists Alfons and Adrie Kennis meticulously sculpted her features, ensuring realism. 'The biggest part of the reconstruction is forming a character,' Alfons Kennis said. 'You can make a forensic reconstruction... but you get no character.' The Kennis brothers, renowned for their work in prehistoric reconstructions, spent six months crafting Mos'anne's bust. Their attention to detail extended to her ochre-pigmented headband and decorative feathers, enhancing authenticity. Despite scientific advancements, much about Mos'anne remains unknown. Researchers continue studying her diet and lifestyle. Yet, with her golden skin, duck-feather headband, and pierced animal teeth jewelry, she bridges the gap between past and present. 'It was always my wish to be able to make it more tangible,' De Groote said, reflecting on the project's success in humanizing prehistoric life. - AFP
The Star
8 hours ago
- The Star
Quickcheck: Did vanilla flavoring come from beaver glands?
A beaver coming out of the water onto its dam. - Pix by AFP COULD something from a beaver really end up in your dessert? It sounds too crazy to be true, maybe just another piece of viral internet clickbait. But is it true that vanilla flavouring used to be made from something that came out of a beaver? Verdict: TRUE As weird as it sounds, there's a bit of truth to it. The substance in question is called castoreum, a sticky, yellow-brown secretion found in sacs near a beaver's tail. Beavers naturally use it to mark their territory, smearing it on twigs and mud piles. The scent is so musky that humans can easily detect it from a distance. For decades, castoreum was used in perfumes, soaps, and even in some foods - particularly to add vanilla, raspberry, and strawberry flavors. The ancient Greeks even credited it with healing properties. Castoreum contains compounds similar to salicylic acid (like aspirin) and vanillin, the molecule responsible for vanilla's signature taste. But before you panic about your next scoop of ice cream, the use of castoreum in food has almost completely disappeared. Harvesting it isn't easy or pleasant - it involves killing beavers, removing their castor sacs, drying them, and then extracting the flavor using alcohol. It's far from ethical in today's standards. While castoreum is FDA-approved and safe to eat, it was never a widespread food additive - mainly because the process was costly, labor-intensive, and unappealing. Since then, it has become extremely rare, appearing mostly in niche products like certain Swedish liquors. And let's be honest - once people found out where it came from, the "ick" factor alone helped push it out of mainstream use. Today, about 99% of vanilla flavoring comes from synthetic sources, such as lab-made vanillin. It's cheaper, more efficient, and doesn't involve animals at all. So yes, beavers can produce a sweet-smelling substance that was once used to flavor food - but no, it's almost certainly not in anything you're eating today. References: 1. animals/article/beaver-butt- goo-vanilla-flavoring 2. com/smart-news/does-vanilla- flavoring-actually-come-from- beaver-butts-180983288/ 3. en/the-truth-about-artificial- vanilla-extract-and-why-you- should-always-splurge-for-pure 4. health/archive/2013/09/beaver- based-alternative-to-vanilla/ 279811/ 5. plantchemeco/whats-really-in- vanilla/
The Star
8 hours ago
- The Star
Powerful Earth-monitoring satellite set to be launched
A formidable new radar satellite jointly developed by the United States and India is set to launch, designed to track subtle changes in Earth's land and ice surfaces and help predict both natural and human-caused hazards. Dubbed Nisar (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar), the pick-up truck-sized spacecraft is scheduled for lift-off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on India's southeastern coast, riding an ISRO Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle rocket. Highly anticipated by scientists, the mission has also been hailed as a milestone in growing US-India cooperation between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 'Our planet surface undergoes constant and meaningful change,' Karen St Germain, director of Nasa's Earth Science division, told reporters. 'Some change happens slowly. Some happens abruptly. Some changes are large, while some are subtle.' By picking up on tiny changes in the vertical movement of the Earth's surface – as little as one centimetre – scientists will be able to detect the precusors for natural and human-caused disasters, from earthquakes, landsides and volcanoes to ageing infrastructure like dams and bridges. 'We'll see land substance and swelling, movement, deformation and melting of mountain glaciers and ice sheets covering both Greenland and Antarctica, and of course, we'll see wildfires,' added St Germain, calling Nisar 'the most sophisticated radar we've ever built'. Equipped with a 12m dish that will unfold in space, Nisar will record nearly all of Earth's land and ice twice every 12 days from an altitude of 747km. As it orbits, the satellite will continuously transmit microwaves and receive echoes from the surface. The returning signals are distorted – but computer processing will reassemble them into detailed images. — AFP
