The Explanations People Give for Going to Bed Late: A Qualitative Study of the Varieties of Bedtime Procrastination

ABSTRACTBackground/Objective: Bedtime procrastination is a prevalent cause of sleep deprivation, but little is known about why people delay their bedtimes. In the present research, we conducted a qualitative study with bedtime procrastinators to classify their self-reported reasons for later-than-intended bedtime. Participants: Participants (N = 17) were selected who frequently engaged in bedtime procrastination, but whose sleep was not otherwise affected by diagnosed sleep disorders or shift work. Method: We conducted in-depth, semistructured interviews and used thematic analysis to identify commonly recurring themes in the interviews. Results and conclusions: Three emerging themes were identified: deliberate procrastination, mindless procrastination, and strategic delay. For the form of procrastination we classified as deliberate procrastination, participants typically reported wilfully delaying their bedtime because they felt they deserved some time for themselves. For the category of mindless procrast...