Revenge Bedtime Procrastination - and how to deal with it?

So I came across the term of Revenge Bedtime Procrastination the other day and chatted with my co-workers and peers about this issue that we are all suffering from.

What is Revenge Bedtime procrastination? (RBP)

It is a phenomenon in which people who don't have much control of their daytime life and refuses to sleep early in order to regain some freedom during late night hours regardless of how tired you are.

In short, you procrastinate on sleep.

I must admit that I suffered from this syndrome most days of the year despite choking up a huge amount of sleep debt. I was simply so unhappy that I was so bound by work during the day (sometimes into late) that I had to watch a video on Netflix or turned on my Nintendo switch for some gaming detox of my daily grind.

How it affects you?

The obvious effects come from the lack of sleep. Studies and literature had shown that a lack of sleep will cause a slew of issues such as lack of concentration, increase in appetite, increase in sugar craving and all these spell problems in the longer days to come. I mean, just take a look at this Harvard Study on Sugar. Excessive amount of sugar can be the greatest threat to heart disease. I come from a family line where members of the family suffered from heart attacks, mostly when my dad or uncles are in their sixties. And this issue struck fear in me. I mean like, hey, I wanna live a long live and see my kid got married and enjoy the new tech and inventions that will be introduced in the coming days.

But still, why do people procrastinate at night and defy the basic need of human beings to sleep?

The reason? Human do crave for a sense of freedom and rights as part of their basic psychological needs. This is the reason there are so many activist groups trying to champion for rights and freedom in expressing themselves and why incarceration's in prisons is a form of punishment to deter crime.

Why do so many people suffer from RBP then? This issue arise from the passion of the individual performing their daily task. If a person was performing a task or job that he/she does not enjoy, they will feel that they are compelled to perform the task. By being compelled, they lose their sense of freedom and rights and thus lost control of their daytime freedom. In a bid to regain this sense of lost freedom, the individual will choose something he or she like to do ay night and to do it before he or she sleeps.

How to deal with RBP?

The million dollar question is how do an individual deal with revenge bedtime procrastination?

Do what you love and love what you do.

Countless successful people out there always said "Do what you love and you will succeed" If I want to so what I love I will probably be a Singer performing someone. I tried for a shortwhile, took on courses in my tryout of my route to fandom. I love to sing and I hoped that I could sing for a living and while undertaking my contemporary vocal classes from Hark Music, I realised there were 10000000000000 persons who had the same dream I had. Just take a look at the idol competitions! And mind you, tons of talented singers goes buried overtime and a huge buck load of luck and opportunity is required despite having talent to succeed in the industry. As a practical man, I chose the path of being a public servant to earn a stable and decent income.

But with that being said, it is always possible to love what you do despite it not being your passion. The ultimate goal is to learn the value and meaning of your role and build your convictions around it. And when you love what you do, you'll stop feeling being compelled and will slowly start to get more restful sleep.

Be better everyday

Leo