Are you a mom who stays up too late? I certainly fit this category! I recently read about “revenge bedtime procrastination” and it really resonated with me. Here’s a bit about what I learned.
My Day
Before the sun comes up, I’m awake early to wake up my kids, fix breakfasts, pack lunches, and get them out the door. Then I get myself ready so I can go to work. While I 100% love what I do (I mean, who wouldn’t love talking to new moms and holding babies all day?!?), I spend my days taking care of others.
Once I get home, I become a taxi driver for kids’ activities, prepare dinners, 2nd dinners, handle the dogs, and all of the other things we do as moms. The day ends with us getting ready for bed and preparing for the next day. My husband and kids go to bed around 9pm and the dogs fall asleep.
That’s when I *should* go to bed too but…
Then I Stay Up Too Late
The house is quiet. The hum of the dishwasher is going. The lights are off except a small end table lamp. All is calm in the house. And The Crown calls my name.
I think to myself, I’ll just sit a watch a little bit of an episode. The next thing I know, it’s midnight and the Netflix message “Are you still watching?” is on my screen.
Why Do Some Moms Do This?
According to several of the articles I read, the “revenge” part comes in because of our stress building up throughout the day as well as lack of free time for ourselves. (Who has free time during the day?!) It’s like we’re getting revenge on the daytime hours by staying up at night.
“People who engage in bedtime procrastination know and generally want to receive enough sleep, but they fail to actually do so. This is known as an intention-behavior gap. One explanation for this gap is a failure in self-regulation or self-control. Our capacity for self-control is already at its lowest at the end of the day, which may facilitate sleep procrastination.” From Revenge Bedtime Procrastination: Definition & Psychology | Sleep Foundation.
This pretty much sums up my habit.
What’s the Harm?
What’s the harm in staying up too late? As it turns out, there can be a lot of harm. It can impact memory, thinking habits, and cortisol levels. It can make people more susceptible to other serious diseases like diabetes. I also tend to snack while I’m staying up late so I know I’m consuming empty calories I don’t need.
The Plan
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been intentional about heading upstairs at bedtime with my family. Once there, I’m trying to create healthy habits that prepare my mind for bed like taking supplements, reading a bit, and turning on my diffuser with lavender essential oil.
I’m also working on finding more daytime hours for downtime. This is easier said than done! I’m trying to schedule some enjoyable outings like lunch with a friend or visiting a local boutique for holiday shopping.
I have also been trying to be more mindful about what really needs to be done in a day. Whether it’s for my business or family, I’m trying to say “no” to a few extra things each week to create some margin in our lives too.
I have to say, it’s been really nice to wake up feeling a bit more rested in the mornings now!
Please tell me I’m not alone! Share in the comments if you experience this too!
