Is revenge bedtime procrastination disrupting your sleep? | News

In the week when we tuck ourselves in for World Sleep Day (14 March) we asked the Insomnia Team at Royal Surrey for the latest snooze on getting in good zzzzzzs.

Louise Berger, Insomnia Team Lead, has this advice: “One thing many of us may be guilty of is revenge bedtime procrastination (RBP), and this can lead to sleep deprivation, affecting our mental, physical, and emotional health.
 
“RBP happens when we delay sleep to enjoy personal activities, such as scrolling on our phones, but we have some useful tips to help you tackle this.”

• Integrate ‘me time’ during your day. Try and find time for hobbies or relaxation to reduce the urge to stay up late.
• Get ready for bed early. Change into your PJs and brush your teeth early to make it easier to get to bed once you feel sleepy.
• Change your mindset. Aim to think of bedtime as something you ‘get’ to do, rather than have ‘got’ to do, to reduce feelings of resistance.
• Plan your evening. Decide in advance what you need to do when, to get to bed on time.
• Make gradual changes. If you currently sleep at 1am, aim for 12:30am first, then gradually move it earlier.

Give these strategies a go to help improve your sleep routine and overall wellbeing. For more help, you might like to listen to the 'Say Goodnight to Insomnia' podcast.