'Sleep Revenge': Why We Like to Stay Up Late

​'Sleep Revenge': Why We Like to Stay Up Late

By Language Lab LangLab

Imagine you've had a really busy day.

Perhaps you had a long day at work and didn't get home until late. You only had time to eat, and soon it was your bedtime.

So what would you do?

Would you just go to sleep and start again the next day? Or would you stay up late to make sure you got a bit of time for yourself first?

A lot of people like to take the second option and stay up late, even though they know they'll be tired the next morning.

This is sometimes known as "revenge bedtime procrastination."

Procrastination means delaying something that you have to do. And in this situation, you're delaying sleep.

It's like you're getting revenge on the day. It was so busy that you couldn't find time for yourself — until bedtime!

A new survey has found that 96% of people in the US do this. And they do it a lot: On average, Americans do it three to four times per week, losing more than 330 hours of sleep per year!

And 42% of people said they "always" or "often" regret staying up late."

Sleeping badly can affect our mental health. It may also encourage us to make unhealthy choices. Many people said that after sleeping badly they were less likely to exercise, and more likely to eat unhealthy food.

Maybe the message is that if you have a busy day, don't get revenge — get rest!