Sleep Procrastination, or Why we can't force ourselves to go to bed on time

In English, there is a term "revenge bedtime procrastination" – procrastination before going to bed. This is what we all do, just to delay the time of falling asleep: we read, stick to the phone, indulge in thoughts about life, watch movies and TV series... And this, as it turned out, is a massive problem that negatively affects our well-being. Let's find out what its cause is, and how to deal with it.

According to research by Dutch scientists, more than 53% of the 2,400 participants in the experiment constantly go to bed later than they plan. And every time they promise themselves that " tomorrow they will definitely go to bed on time!". Is this familiar to you?

After a day, two, three, and even after a week, nothing changes. The participants of the experiment again dragged out the time before going to bed. Many subjects admitted that they really really wanted to sleep. By the evening, they were already exhausted from fatigue and were glad that they would finally get enough sleep. However, when it came time to go to bed, something prevented them from doing so.

Scientists analyzed the profiles of all participants in the experiment and identified two reasons that prevent normal sleep.

Almost all participants said that they kept themselves under strict control during the day. Therefore, they were waiting for the evening as an opportunity to relax and unwind. Scientists call this phenomenon "depletion of self-control reserves".

To prevent this from happening, you need to monitor your behavior during the day. The more temptations you have to resist, the more difficult it will be to control the body in the evening. If there is an opportunity – give in to a small temptation and provide yourself with a quality rest during the day. If not, be prepared for the fact that at night the brain will resist the opportunity to sleep. Try to find the strength for the last strong-willed jerk, and go to bed on time.

Scientists have determined that almost all "owls" are characterized by procrastination before bedtime. On weekends, they get a good night's sleep-about until lunch, and they feel great at the same time. But then their body can't understand why they should go to bed early. He is used to late rises and long gatherings before going to bed, so he can not quickly adjust to the new regime.

What to do? Change the daily routine gradually. Even on weekends, try to go to bed on time and get up early, so that the body begins to get used to it.

You can try various rituals to improve the quality of sleep: do not pick up gadgets 1-2 hours before bedtime, ventilate the room in the evening, dim the lights, drink tea and take a hot bath. When it's cool outside and warm inside, a person begins to feel sleepy.

Another tip: if you have accumulated routine tasks that you would like to perform before going to bed, it is better to transfer them to another time. Night is the period when the body and brain should rest. Don't burden them with work.

Do you easily manage to fall asleep at the scheduled time?