Why You Delay Sleep Even When You’re Tired (and How to Stop)

Introduction

Have you ever been in bed, fully able to sleep, but you don’t? You scroll, refresh, or “just finish one more thing,” even when it’s not fun. This pattern is often called bedtime procrastination. It’s not always about being a night owl. Newer research suggests a key driver is self-efficacy—especially “time self-efficacy,” or how much you trust yourself to manage time and follow through. When that trust is low, ending the day can feel risky, and your brain keeps looking for one last reward or signal that you didn’t miss anything. In this article, you’ll learn (1) why low time confidence makes sleep harder to start, (2) how FOMO and social media keep your reward system active at night, and (3) three practical habits—timeboxing, intentional stopping, and “not-done” tracking—to make bedtime easier. Start with one small change tonight.

Nick Harrison

Life Coach

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