“It doesn't really make you feel better, it’s just something for you to do that you control,” says one psychologist.
, some are finding that their busy lives leave even less time for decompression during the day, says Dr. Roth.
As procrastinators stay up later and enter a state of sleep deprivation, they lose access to the brain’s full executive functioning, making it even harder to stop scrolling, sleep scientists say. The dopamine hits cause hyper-arousal in the brain, hindering the type of restorative, deep sleep that allows us to feel rested and alert the next day.
There is a link between anxiety and bedtime procrastination, says Rebecca Campbell, the University of Arkansas study’s lead author who researches the relationship between sleep and mental health. The phenomenon could be a form of avoidance for those who are worried about problems they will face the next day or who fear they will have trouble falling asleep, she says.