Experiences of bedtime procrastination in university students: A qualitative study

While studies have quantitatively linked bedtime procrastination and health-related outcomes among university students, qualitative evidence remains limited. This qualitative study explored bedtime procrastination experiences by conducting semi-structured interviews with 20 students (mean age: 20.85 years) from five Hong Kong universities. Students were recruited via purposive sampling and interviewed between September and December 2024. Conventional content analysis of the data generated five themes: (1) being a master of myself before bedtime at night; (2) bedtime procrastination as a reward and celebration; (3) bedtime procrastination as an automatic process; (4) bedtime procrastination impairing productivity, body image, and emotions; and (5) refraining from bedtime procrastination is not easy. Findings suggest that bedtime procrastination stems from a combination of intentional and unintentional behaviors, reflecting both reflective and automatic cognitive processes. Future interventions could be enhanced by adopting a dual-process approach, alongside strategies like sleep hygiene education and emphasizing the negative effects of peer influence.