Procrastination as a Health Behavior Problem: the Relationship Between Procrastination and Getting Insufficient Sleep

Background: Procrastination is a prevalent and problematic phenomenon that has mostly been studied in the domain of academic behavior. The current study highlights another domain in which procrastination may lead to harmful outcomes, introducing bedtime procrastination as an important factor related to getting insufficient sleep and consequently affecting individual well-being. Methods: A community sample (N = 177) filled out an online questionnaire assessing self-regulation, bedtime procrastination and sleep outcomes (hours of sleep, experienced insufficient sleep, daytime fatigue). Findings: As predicted, bedtime procrastination was negatively associated with self-regulation. Moreover, bedtime procrastination was related to getting insufficient sleep above and beyond demographics and self-regulation. Discussion: Introducing a novel domain in which procrastinators experience problems, bedtime procrastination appears to be a prevalent and relevant issue that is associated with getting insufficient sleep. The current study suggests that procrastination may be an important but as of yet neglected factor in the health behavior domain.