That's why you can't go to bed early even if you're tired.

Combien de fois avez-vous dit "Non mais je suis épuisée, ce soir je suis au lit à 20h30 grand max, c'est clair..." , pour finalement vous retrouver à 23h45 en train de dévorer un roman ? Vous pensez avoir des problèmes de sommeil ? C'est sans doute le cas.

Why Don't we ever go to bed early?

This is a very common phenomenon, which bears a name: the night procrastination of revenge. Dr. Alex Dimitriu, an expert at the sleep Foundation, describes it as a conscious decision to sacrifice sleep time for leisure and health.

It is a recurrent habit in many developed countries, and often among people with very busy work, family life or time-consuming occupations. When evening came, they felt like they didn't have a minute of their own, to enjoy a minimum of it.

As a result, despite their often advanced state of fatigue, they prefer to spend time watching television, scrolling on social networks, or dating friends, to feel like they have done something of their day for them.

The dangers of night procrastination

This very understandable behaviour can have adverse health consequences.

The consequences of sleep deprivation on the body are numerous and very dangerous. There are weight gain, increased risk of heart problems and hypertension, increased stress, irritability, decreased sensory perception, etc.

In addition, night procrastination of revenge is often a regular habit and not a one-time practice. And the logical consequence is that the body gets used to working with less energy, and not completely recharging its batteries. Fatigue therefore becomes your "normal" state, when it is not at all normal. Without realizing it, you operate slowly, are diminished in terms of intellectual and physical abilities.

And it's a vicious circle because you take more time to do your tasks of the day, and so you have less time for yourself in the evening.

How can we go to bed more easily at night?

As you will understand, nocturnal procrastination, however pleasant it may be at the moment, is not good for you.

So, to avoid it, there are solutions. According to Dr. Alex Dimitriu, it is essential to put in place "sex habits". This is exactly the same thing as the bedtime ritual that is set up in children.

It is therefore necessary to define an hour beyond which one should not go to bed, then an hour beyond which one must turn off the light and stop all activity. It is essential to stop the screens at least 30 minutes before this pre-defined time to allow the brain time to "descend". Also avoid coffee and stimulants in the afternoon and evening. And if necessary, test different relaxation methods such as moon breathing, or fast sleeping technique. If possible, these sleep patterns should be maintained on holidays and holidays.

So turn off that TV, Netflix will still be here tomorrow when you wake up, and good night!