Boredom affects sleep quality: The serial mediation effect of inattention and bedtime procrastination

Are "night owls" or "morning larks" more likely to delay sleep due to problematic smartphone use? a cross-lagged study among undergraduates

Sleep is an important physiological process, but staying up late has become a worldwide problem, particularly among university students. Sleep procrastination has been found to associated with sleep biorhythms and problematic smartphone use ("PSU") in previous studies. This two-wave study examines the longitudinal reciprocal relationship between PSU and sleep procrastination, together with the moderating role of sleep biorhythms. Participants comprised 1,423 Chinese university students. The results revealed that PSU and sleep procrastination are reciprocally related. Additionally, sleep biorhythms moderated this relationship, as PSU at T1 significantly predicted sleep procrastination at T2 for the morning larks group but not the night owls group. Accordingly, both PSU and sleep biorhythms should be considered when developing interventions for sleep procrastination.

Bidirectional relations between problematic smartphone use and bedtime procrastination among Chinese university students: Self-control as a mediator

OBJECTIVE

Based on theoretical and empirical evidence, this study examined the longitudinal relationship between problematic smartphone use and bedtime procrastination and the potential mediating role of self-control.

METHODS

Between November 2021 and November 2022, a three waves longitudinal design was employed. Wave 1 included 622 Chinese college students (46.95% male, Mage = 18.16, SD = 0.73), with 6-month intervals between waves. The data was collected using self-report assessments.

RESULTS

The results of the cross-lagged panel models show that problematic smartphone use positively predicted later bedtime procrastination, and the bedtime procrastination also positively predicted later problematic smartphone use among college students. More importantly, self-control played a mediating role in their bidirectional predictive relationship.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings add to the understanding of the causal relationship between problematic smartphone use and bedtime procrastination and reveal the core psychological mechanisms underlying their vicious cycle, with important practical implications for the prevention and intervention of problematic smartphone use and sleep problems.

The thief of (bed)time: Examination of the daily associations between bedtime procrastination and multidimensional sleep health

OBJECTIVES

Sleep insufficiency is associated with increased risk of morbidity and mortality. Bedtime procrastination, or the needless and voluntary delay in sleep, is a sleep-related behavior which may interfere with sleep health. The objective of this study is to comprehensively examine the daily associations among bedtime procrastination and measures of sleep regularity, satisfaction, timing, efficiency, and duration.

METHODS

Two hundred and eighty young adult participants (79% female; Mage=24.4) completed daily sleep diaries and measures of bedtime procrastination and sleep restoration over 14days, in addition to measures of chronotype. Multilevel models were constructed to examine the associations between bedtime procrastination and sleep health.

RESULTS

Greater bedtime procrastination was associated with poorer sleep health, including poorer self-reported sleep restoration, later sleep timing, less efficient sleep, and shorter sleep duration. These associations were significant at both within- and between-person levels, and persisted after statistically adjusting for individuals' chronotypes.

CONCLUSIONS

This study offers bedtime procrastination as a putative mechanism for poor sleep health and finds that the associated risk of poor sleep from bedtime procrastination is independent of chronotype. Results presented here suggest that bedtime procrastination may be a relevant behavior in the development or maintenance of sleep and sleep-related disorders.

A daily examination of executive functioning and chronotype in bedtime procrastination

STUDY OBJECTIVES

Bedtime procrastination, or delays in bedtime not attributable to external obligations, is a behavioral tendency that undermines sleep and is conceptualized as a consequence of poor self-regulation. Prior studies investigating the mechanistic role of self-regulation in bedtime procrastination relied on cross-sectional methods and self-reported self-regulation. The present study examined the association between bedtime procrastination and both objective and self-reported executive functioning (EF) as indices of self-regulation, as well as the moderating role of chronotype, using methods that examined these associations at the daily level.

METHODS

A total of 273 young adult participants (78% female; Mage = 24.4) completed daily measures of objective EF (i.e., Stroop task), self-reported EF (i.e., self-reported cognitive, behavioral, and emotional regulation difficulties), and bedtime procrastination over 14 days, in addition to measures of chronotype. Multilevel models were constructed to examine the associations between bedtime procrastination and EF, as well as EF-chronotype interactions.

RESULTS

Poorer daily objective EF and self-reported behavioral regulation were associated with greater same-night bedtime procrastination. Additionally, poorer subjective cognitive and emotional regulation were associated with greater average bedtime procrastination across 14 days. Later chronotypes reported greater bedtime procrastination than early chronotypes.

CONCLUSIONS

The present study provides support for the association between EF and bedtime procrastination, but finds no evidence for the moderating role of chronotype in this association. Results suggest that some EF processes may be more relevant to bedtime procrastination than others. Current findings have implications for assessment and intervention for this consequential sleep-relevant behavioral tendency.

Association between impulsivity and cognitive capacity decrease is mediated by smartphone addiction, academic procrastination, bedtime procrastination, sleep insufficiency and daytime fatigue among medical students: a path analysis

BACKGROUND

Medical students are at high risk for sleep disturbance. One possible cause of their sleeping problem is impulsivity. We aim to investigate the possible mediators between medical students' impulsivity and sleep outcomes. Thus, we developed and investigated a model where the predictors were attentional, non-planning, and motor impulsivity subtraits. In the final model, subjective cognitive capacity decrease was the outcome variable. In light of previous findings, academic procrastination, smartphone addiction, and bedtime procrastination were considered important mediators as well as two variables of poor sleep, sleeping insufficiency, and daytime fatigue.

METHODS

Medical students (N = 211; age_M = 22.15 years; age_SD = 3.47 years; 71.6% women) were recruited to complete an online survey comprised of demographics (age, gender), self-administered scales (Abbreviated Impulsiveness Scale, Bedtime Procrastination Scale, Abbreviated Impulsiveness Scale, Academic Procrastination Scale-Short Form) and questions on tiredness, daily fatigue and subjective cognitive capacity decrease. Correlation and path analyses were implemented to examine hypothesized relationships between the variables.

RESULTS

Both attentional impulsivity (β = 0.33, p < .001) and non-planning impulsivity (β = -0.19, p < .01) had a direct relationship with cognitive capacity decrease. Attentional impulsivity was also associated with decreased cognitive capacity with a serial mediation effect via smartphone addiction, academic procrastination, bedtime procrastination, sleep insufficiency and fatigue (estimate = 0.017, p < .01). The indirect link between non-planning impulsivity and cognitive capacity decrease was mediated by academic procrastination, bedtime procrastination, sleep insufficiency and fatigue (estimate = 0.011, p < .01).

CONCLUSIONS

Inability to stay focused and plan tasks effectively (directly and indirectly) predicts poor sleep outcomes. This relationship is mediated by excessive smartphone use, academic procrastination, and bedtime procrastination. Our findings are relevant in light of self-regulatory learning, which is crucial in medical education. This is a recursive cycle of planning, emotion regulation, proper strategy selection and self-monitoring. Future interventions addressing attentional and non-planning impulsivity, problematic smartphone use, academic procrastination, and in turn, bedtime procrastination might make this routine more effective. In the conclusion section, practical implications of the results are discussed.

Mind wandering and sleep in daily life: A combined actigraphy and experience sampling study

Individuals who sleep poorly report spending more time mind wandering during the day. However, past research has relied on self-report measures of sleep or measured mind wandering during laboratory tasks, which prevents generalization to everyday contexts. We used ambulatory assessments to examine the relations between several features of sleep (duration, fragmentation, and disturbances) and mind wandering (task-unrelated, stimulus-independent, and unguided thoughts). Participants wore a wristband device that collected actigraphy and experience-sampling data across 7 days and 8 nights. Contrary to our expectations, task-unrelated and stimulus-independent thoughts were not associated with sleep either within- or between-persons (n = 164). Instead, individual differences in unguided thoughts were associated with sleep disturbances and duration, suggesting that individuals who more often experience unguided train-of-thoughts have greater sleep disturbances and sleep longer. These results highlight the need to consider the context and features of mind wandering when relating it to sleep.

Boredom Proneness on Chinese College Students' Phubbing during the COVID-19 Outbreak: The Mediating Effects of Self-Control and Bedtime Procrastination

Objective

To analyze the relationship between boredom proneness and phubbing among Chinese college students and examine how self-control and bedtime procrastination mediate this relationship during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Methods

A total of 707 Chinese college students were voluntarily surveyed. They completed the Generic Scale of Phubbing (GSP), Short Boredom Proneness Scale (SBPS), Bedtime Procrastination Scale (BPS), and Self-Control Scale (SCS).

Results

(1) The results revealed that men scored higher on boredom than women. (2) The analysis revealed significant associations between each of the variables. Boredom proneness was positively correlated with bedtime procrastination (r = 0.318; P < 0.001) and phubbing (r = 0.418; P < 0.001) and negatively correlated with self-control (r = -0.518; P < 0.001). (3) Mediation analysis suggested that self-control and bedtime procrastination mediate the relationship between boredom proneness and phubbing (effect of self-control = 0.094, P < 0.001, 95% CI [0.062∼0.128]; effect of bedtime procrastination = 0.025, P < 0.001, 95% CI [0.011∼0.042]; and effect of self-control and bedtime procrastination = 0.032, P < 0.001, 95% CI [0.020∼0.046]).

Conclusion

Self-control and bedtime procrastination mediate the association between boredom proneness and phubbing among Chinese college students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mindfulness is Associated with Better Sleep Quality in Young Adults by Reducing Boredom and Bedtime Procrastination

OBJECTIVE

Bedtime procrastination is a relatively new topic of research and has been found to compromise sleep. Researchers have studied the predictors, but only a few studies have focused on the ways to reduce bedtime procrastination. Mindfulness, a novel variable in this research area, may shed some light on how to decrease bedtime procrastination. This study examined a serial mediation model and hypothesized that the relationship between mindfulness and better sleep quality would be serially mediated by lower levels of boredom and bedtime procrastination.

METHODS

This study employed a correlational approach and recruited a sample of 220 participants aged between 17 and 30 (M = 20.34 years, SD = 2.86). In the Qualtrics online survey, participants completed a series of questionnaires measuring mindfulness, boredom, bedtime procrastination, and sleep quality.

RESULTS

The analyses provided support for our serial mediation model. Mindfulness predicted a lower level of boredom, which in turn predicted a lower level of bedtime procrastination and subsequently better sleep quality.

CONCLUSION

Our findings highlighted the role of mindfulness in curbing bedtime procrastination, setting a foundation for future research on the interventions for sleep issues associated with bedtime procrastination. We discussed the theoretical and practical implications of the findings.

Future Time Perspective and Bedtime Procrastination: The Mediating Role of Dual-Mode Self-Control and Problematic Smartphone Use

This study examined bedtime procrastination predictors and the development process concerning health behavior. Based on temporal self-regulation theory and the self-regulatory framework of time perspective, we examined the effects of future time perspective, dual-model of self-control, and problematic smartphone use on bedtime procrastination. Further, including the mediating role of dual-mode self-control and problematic smartphone use in the effects of future time perspective on bedtime procrastination among 3687 participants (38.73% male; M_age = 16.17 years, SD = 2.42, range = 11-23) Chinese students. The results showed that the future time perspective, dual-mode self-control, and problematic smartphone use had significant predictive effects on bedtime procrastination. Importantly, the negative effect of future time perspective on bedtime procrastination is mediated by the impulse system, control system, and problematic smartphone use separately and serially mediated by the impulse system and problematic smartphone use, rather than the control system and problematic smartphone use; these findings extend previous research on the contributing factors of bedtime procrastination and provide an empirical basis for promoting people to form healthy sleep habits.

Off-Time Work-Related Smartphone Use and Bedtime Procrastination of Public Employees: A Cross-Cultural Study

While previous studies have examined the negative effects of work-related smartphone use after hours, little is known about whether and how it influences employees’ unhealthy sleep behavior (i.e., bedtime procrastination). Drawing on the ego depletion theory, this study explored the effects of work-related smartphone use after hours on bedtime procrastination. To further uncover potential cross-cultural differences, a sample of 210 public employees from the United States and 205 public employees from China were used. Results via path analysis revealed that off-time work-related smartphone use positively influenced bedtime procrastination via the mediating role of self-control depletion. These findings were consistent between the United States and Chinese sample; however, off-time work-related smartphone use after hours increased the likelihood of self-control depletion more strongly in the United States than in China. The implications of our findings for both theory and practice were discussed.