Procrastination and sleep insufficiency: the role of self-regulation skills and motivational orientation

Abstract

Background: Getting insufficient sleep causes many negative health consequences Although a variety of factors can cause insufficient sleep, in most cases, it’s due to bad sleeping habits. According to Kroese and colleagues insufficient sleep can be examined from a self-regulation perspective. These authors propose concept of bedtime procrastination. Bedtime procrastination is defined as “failing to go to bed at the intended time, while no external circumstances prevent a person from doing soâ€. Methods: Two studies (N=151; N=98)were designed to answer two main questions: First - do individual differences in self-regulation skills and bedtime procrastination were predictors of self-reported sleep outcomes. Second – do individual differences in self-regulation skills, bedtime procrastination and autonomous versus controlled forms of motivation have different effects on behavioral intention for change bad sleeping habits and behavioral measures taken five weeks later? Results: People who reported more bedtime procrastination scored lower on self-regulation skills and reported more symptoms of sleep insufficiency. Self-regulation skills , autonomous and controlled motivation were positively associated with intention to change bad sleeping habits. Results provide also evidence that controlled motivation has negative effect on behavioral change measures taken five weeks later. The effect of self- regulation skills and , autonomous motivation on behavioral change measures was insignificant. Conclusions: It has been demonstrated that bedtime procrastination and self-regulation skills may contribute to sleep insufficiency. Given the relations between self –regulation skills, motivational orientation and behavioral intention, the ways in which bad sleeping habits could be changed warrants further investigation.