Insufficient Sleep among Adolescents: The Role of Bedtime Procrastination, Chronotype and Autonomous vs. Controlled Motivational Regulations

The study explored the relationship between a specific type of procrastination - bedtime procrastination, and the amount (hours) of sleep and indicators of sleep deprivation in a sample of 175 Polish adolescents. It also examined the relationship between bedtime procrastination, morningness-eveningness and autonomous vs. controlled motivational regulations for sleep related behavior. Bedtime procrastination - or going to bed later than intended without any specific external reason - was prevalent in the adolescent sample and was negatively associated with the amount of sleep and positively related to signs of sleep deprivation. Evening-type adolescents showed a greater tendency to put off bedtime. The relationship between eveningness and bedtime procrastination was mediated by non-autonomous regulation of sleep related behavior. The results suggest some practical implications for improving the ability to self-regulate sleep related behavior.