What Is Revenge Bedtime Procrastination—and How Can You Stop?

It’s late, the day’s demands are finally behind you, and you have a little time to yourself. You planned to go to bed, but one episode becomes three. You know tomorrow’s alarm will feel harder, yet switching off means giving up the only part of the day that feels entirely yours. Sound familiar? This can be revenge bedtime procrastination.

Wanting this time makes sense, and if you do this in the evening, you’re not alone. Panda’s 2026 Sleep Report found that 28% of respondents said they put off sleep by watching television or a film. In this article, we’ll explore how to make room for yourself without resorting to revenge bedtime procrastination.

What is revenge bedtime procrastination?

Revenge bedtime procrastination means putting off your bedtime to carve out some personal time, even when you know you’ll feel worse the next day. It often happens when your day leaves little room to relax or an opportunity to do something involving your self-care.

Three features define the behaviour:

• You delay going to bed. You stay up later than intended, perhaps scrolling or reading a few more chapters of your book.
• Nothing unavoidable is keeping you from sleeping. Unlike working late or caring responsibilities, you’re choosing to stay up.
• You know you’ll feel tired the next day. You recognise that less sleep could make you less productive the next day, but you decide to do it anyway.
  

Unlike a night when you’ve been out socialising and you come home late, revenge bedtime procrastination is when you have no plans disrupting your usual bedtime, but you decide to go to sleep later in the evening. 

Why is it called “revenge” bedtime procrastination?

Revenge bedtime procrastination gained wider attention during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the behaviour predates it. In 2014, Floor Kroese and colleagues introduced bedtime procrastination as a research topic. The “revenge” label describes delaying bedtime to reclaim personal time after a demanding day—taking back a little time that feels entirely yours.

So why do we put off bedtime when we know we may feel tired the next day?

• The late-night activity can feel like freedom.
• The reward is immediate.
• Tomorrow’s tiredness feels distant.
• The behaviour may fulfil a genuine need for downtime, even when the timing is unhelpful.
  

Royal Surrey’s insomnia team describes this as delaying sleep to make time for personal activities after a demanding day.

Is revenge bedtime procrastination the same as insomnia?

They are not the same. Bedtime procrastination involves delaying when you try to sleep, even though you have the opportunity to go to bed. Insomnia involves recurring difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep or returning to sleep after waking early. The two can overlap, so delaying bedtime does not rule out another sleep difficulty.

If you believe you have insomnia, it’s best to seek the advice of your doctor on how to help you manage it. 

Why do we delay bedtime when we know we need sleep?

We know the best thing to do when we’re tired is to go to sleep, so why do some of us decide to delay our bedtime? In this next section, we’ll explore the reasons why some of us stay up when we should be getting our heads down.

You have not had enough personal time

You’ve had a long day with school runs and/or work project deadlines, and when it gets to the evening, you have a to-do list as long as your arm before you can start to unwind. Once you’ve finished your housework, it’s late, so you should go to bed, but instead you stay up watching television.

The immediate reward wins

The activity you choose before bedtime offers an instant reward, whereas the fallout feels far away in the world of tomorrow. 

The activity has no natural endpoint

If you’ve started a series, you can watch several episodes, or if you’re scrolling on social media, there’s no endpoint; you can go on and on. It is your decision to end it, so it's harder to put to bed.

You are mentally tired

Research has linked bedtime procrastination to lower self-control, but that doesn't mean everyone who delays bedtime lacks discipline. The reasons can vary, and these associations do not establish a single cause.

You naturally prefer later evenings

Some people are night owls, and they feel more awake in the evening, preferring this time of day for their personal time.

As we spend more time on screens, it’s easy to blame them for bedtime procrastination, but your phone is a vehicle, not the driver, when it comes to staying up late. 

Signs you may be procrastinating at bedtime

We all like to relax after a stressful day, but are we staying up later than we should, and could you be taking part in revenge bedtime procrastination without realising it?

Here are the signs:

• You regularly stay awake later than you planned
• You could go to bed, but choose another non-essential activity
• You tell yourself “one more episode” or “five more minutes”
• Late evening feels like the only uninterrupted part of your day
• You regret the decision in the morning but repeat it that night
• You feel tired during the day because sleep has been shortened
• You lose track of time while scrolling, streaming, reading or gaming
  

An occasional late night does not necessarily mean you have a recurring pattern of bedtime procrastination. The 2022 systematic review, ‘Go to bed!’ found moderate associations between bedtime procrastination and shorter sleep, poorer self-rated sleep quality, and greater daytime fatigue. The authors rated the underlying evidence as low quality and said stronger studies were needed to establish causality.

How to stop revenge bedtime procrastination

If you recognise the signs of revenge bedtime procrastination in your own sleep schedule and you want to stop, follow our advice to help break the habit.

1. Work out what you are trying to reclaim

Consider why you are procrastinating, and ask yourself the questions below.

Am I trying to reclaim:

• Peace and quiet?
• Entertainment?
• Time alone?
• Freedom from responsibility?
• A chance to connect with someone?
• Time for a hobby?
  

Delaying bedtime could be a response to an unmet need, and therefore you’ll find a better solution than missing out on sleep.

2. Protect some personal time earlier

Rearrange your day so you can spend time on activities earlier in the evening, or make them shorter and spread them out throughout the day.

Setting aside some personal time is easier than you think. Half an hour after work or after children’s bedtime can be enough to meet your ‘me-time’ needs. Here are some suggestions for what you can do in that time:

• A short walk
• One chapter of a book
• Music while preparing dinner
  

Making time for rest isn’t always straightforward. Shift work, caring responsibilities and financial pressures can leave little room to change your schedule. Where possible, focus on small adjustments that fit your circumstances, rather than aiming for a perfect bedtime routine.

3. Set a wind-down cue, not only a bedtime

You may need to create boundaries and protect your time in the evening. It may be helpful to set a wind-down time reminder on your phone.

Here are some tried and tested ways to wind down from your day that don’t involve distracting activities:

• Put the phone on charge
• Lower the lights
• Make a warm drink
• Wash and brush your teeth
• Write tomorrow’s tasks down
• Read something calming
  

The NHS recommends a consistent routine, reducing device use before bed and using calming activities such as reading, breathing exercises or quiet music. We provide more advice on wind-down routines in our blog, ‘How to Create a Warming Grounding Evening Routine.’

4. Plan the evening before you are exhausted

If your circumstances allow, replace “I’ll go to bed early tonight” with clear decisions: what you want to watch or do, when you’ll finish, and when you’ll get ready for sleep. Think about what needs to be ready for the morning, too, whether that’s a packed bag or your lunch.

For example: “I’ll watch one episode, finish at 9.30 pm, then pack my bag and start winding down.”

A 2025 observational study of university students found that having a bedtime plan was associated with slightly earlier bedtimes and longer sleep on those nights. This doesn’t necessarily prove that planning caused better sleep, and to caveat, the findings may not apply to everyone.

5. Add a little friction to endless activities

One more episode can easily stretch beyond the time you intended. Adding a small pause can help you decide whether to carry on or start winding down.

Try turning off autoplay, setting an app reminder, or putting the remote away after your planned episode. If you’re reading, use the end of a chapter as a stopping point. Charging your phone outside the bedroom and using a separate alarm clock may also help.

The aim is to give yourself a moment to choose how you spend your evening.

6. Get ready for bed earlier

It sounds so simple, but changing into your bed clothes as soon as you get home or brushing your teeth earlier can put you in a better frame of mind for relaxation. This is one of the practical strategies recommended by Royal Surrey’s insomnia team.

7. Move gradually rather than attempting a dramatic reset

A person who goes to bed at 1 am regularly may find that switching to a 10 pm bedtime is a big change to their routine. It is better to move bedtime to 15–30 minutes earlier, and then keep the wake-up time consistent. When this has been implemented, review your progress after a week. If you stay up to 1am on one of the nights, don’t consider it a failure. 

8. Make the bedroom ready for sleep

If unwanted light makes it hard to settle down, an eye mask can help create a darker sleep environment. Comfortable bedding can make your bedroom more inviting, but it will not address the reasons you are delaying bedtime on its own. 

Below is a table providing you with an easy 15-minute bedtime reset. Use this as a flexible example, not a countdown. Adapt the steps to your evening and go to bed when you feel sleepy:

What if going to bed is not fully within your control?

There are situations where a delayed bedtime is out of your control, and this is not revenge bedtime procrastination. People who work late shifts, have young children, health conditions, anxiety or a noisy living environment may find it hard to control their own bedtime and struggle with sleep.

When should you seek help?

Speak to a GP if sleep problems have lasted for months, or are affecting your work, relationships or ability to manage everyday tasks. 

It is also worth asking for help if anxiety, low mood or stress seems to be driving the pattern, or reasonable changes to your sleep routine have not helped. If you struggle to stay awake safely, seek medical advice promptly and avoid driving or operating machinery when sleepy.

The NHS recommends seeing a GP when ongoing insomnia makes daily life difficult to cope with. A professional can explore possible causes and discuss suitable support.

Conclusion

You need both rest and time that feels like your own. Breaking the revenge bedtime procrastination cycle does not mean giving up the parts of your evening you enjoy. Making room for personal time earlier in the day can help, alongside a simple bedtime routine that is easy to follow when you are tired. Small, manageable changes are enough to start.

Tonight, choose when your wind-down will begin and what you will do with the final 15 minutes before bed.