'Bedtime Procrastination' Is Making You Sleepy

After a sleepy start to the week, you swore you'd be in bed last night by 10—but when the clock struck midnight, you were still catching up on Game of Thrones. You're not the only one struggling to get to bed despite wanting to sleep: Researchers are describing "bedtime procrastination," which "may be a relatively modern phenomenon." The definition, per Science of Us, is "failing to go to bed at the intended time, while no external circumstances prevent a person from doing so."

Working in the Netherlands, the experts asked 177 people to respond to questions like "I go to bed later than I had intended" and "I easily get distracted by things when I actually would like to go to bed," the Independent reports. They found that bedtime procrastination was fairly common and associated with less sleep and more tiredness, Real Clear Science notes. An expert tip: "Keep a schedule for yourself and stick to it. If you can't fit in all of your fun daytime activities before your scheduled bedtime, then take comfort in knowing you'll be alert and well-rested the next day to experience them." (More procrastination stories.)