Bedtime procrastination: why you stay up late, and how to stop

What is bedtime procrastination?

Bedtime procrastination is failing to go to bed at the time you intended, while no outside circumstances stop you from doing so. That definition comes from a 2014 study by Kroese and colleagues in Frontiers in Psychology, which introduced the idea.¹

The key words are "intended" and "no outside circumstances". A crying baby or a late shift is not procrastination. Sitting on the sofa watching one more episode when you planned to be in bed is.

The team surveyed 177 adults recruited online, leaving out people with sleep disorders and night shift workers. People who scored lower on self regulation reported more bedtime procrastination. Bedtime procrastination was also linked to feeling short of sleep, even after taking demographics and self regulation into account.¹

What is revenge bedtime procrastination?

Revenge bedtime procrastination is a popular name for a specific version of the habit. Stanford Student Affairs describes it as staying awake at night to catch up on the free time you did not get during the day, as if taking revenge for the leisure your busy schedule took away.²

It is not a separate diagnosis. Most studies measure plain bedtime procrastination. But the "revenge" label captures something real: if your day belongs to work, study or other people, the hour after everyone else is asleep can feel like the only hour that is yours.

Why do I stay up late when I am tired?

There is rarely one cause. Research points to a few that often stack together.

• Lower self control. A 2023 review and meta analysis of 43 studies found bedtime procrastination had a moderate link with lower self control.³
• Your body clock. The same review found a moderate link with an evening chronotype, meaning people who naturally lean towards late nights.³
• More to do after dark. Kroese and colleagues suggested that electrical devices and 24/7 entertainment give people far more distractions than a few decades ago.¹
• A day with no room in it. Stanford's advice for revenge bedtime procrastination starts with daytime stress and workload, not bedtime itself.²

The review authors rated the overall evidence as low quality and said more studies are needed to show cause and effect.³ So treat these as links, not proof.

Staying up late on your phone: what the research shows

A phone makes bedtime procrastination easier, because it follows you into bed. A 2020 study of 400 high school students surveyed in Portuguese described "while in bed procrastination". The authors noted that people may go to bed on time but still fail to sleep on time.⁴

A 2024 study followed 683 university students in Pakistan across two surveys six months apart. Problematic smartphone use at the start predicted more bedtime procrastination later. Bedtime procrastination at the start also predicted more problematic phone use later.⁵ In other words, the two seem to feed each other.

It is common among adults too. In a 2025 survey of 2,007 US adults for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), 50% said they use a screen in bed every day. And 26% said they prioritise screen time on their phone over getting the recommended amount of sleep.⁶

If your late nights mostly happen in bed with a phone, our guide on how to stop scrolling in bed goes deeper, and screens, melatonin and sleep covers the light question.

How bedtime procrastination affects your sleep

The 2023 meta analysis found bedtime procrastination was moderately linked to shorter sleep, poorer sleep quality and more daytime fatigue.³ The AASM recommends adults get at least seven hours of sleep a night.⁶

Put simply, if you go to bed late but your alarm does not move, the time comes out of your sleep.

How to stop bedtime procrastination: 7 fixes

These come from NHS and AASM sleep advice, plus what the research suggests about why the habit sticks.

1. Keep your times steady. The NHS says going to bed and getting up at similar times each day helps your body know when it is time to sleep, even on days off.⁷
2. Set a screens off time. The NHS suggests avoiding phones, tablets and computers for an hour before bed.⁷ The AASM suggests powering down 30 to 60 minutes before bed.⁶
3. Charge your phone in another room. The AASM suggests keeping phones out of the bedroom and using a clock for your alarm.⁶
4. Silence alerts. If the phone has to stay in the room, turn off notifications.⁶
5. Find some free time earlier. If your late nights are "revenge", protect a small slot of leisure in the evening so midnight is not your only chance.²
6. Swap the scroll for something calm. Reading, journaling, a warm shower, breathing exercises or calming music are all suggested.⁶⁷
7. Decide once, not every night. Late at night the easy choice is one more scroll, so make the choice earlier in the day. A bedtime app blocker can lock your chosen apps at a set time, so you are not arguing with yourself at 11pm.

If you go to bed on time and still cannot sleep, that is a different problem. Speak to your GP.

Where SETL fits

SETL is an iPhone app blocker built bedtime first. With SETL Sleep you set your bedtime once and your chosen apps are blocked automatically at bedtime every night. It does not make you sleepy. It removes the nightly decision, which is where bedtime procrastination usually wins.

This article is general information, not medical advice. Speak to your doctor about ongoing sleep, attention or mental health concerns.