Written by: Abby dizon
Editor’s Note: The following articles are written by counseling professionals and students from Counseling Services in partnership with the Southern Accent.
Have you experienced a day of “bed-rotting?” Spending the entire day in bed scrolling through your phone or computer, and only getting up for essential tasks like eating or using the bathroom? Typically, the feelings after might be feelings of guilt, unproductiveness, fatigue and even depression.
Although bed-rotting can be seen as a form of self-care, the issue arises once it becomes a habit or is utilized as a means of avoidance, leading to harmful consequences. Here are some reasons why bed rotting can be more harmful than helpful:
Sleep Disruption
If you have ever spent an entire day lying in bed without any physical activity, you would understand how difficult it becomes to go to sleep at a reasonable hour, often finding yourself starting to doze off around 4 a.m. According to an article from Scientific American, bed-rotting impacts our sleep health in three ways. The first involves our circadian rhythm, where our brain holds a 24-hour clock that regulates our alertness and sleepiness by responding to light changes in our environment.
Our circadian rhythm morning light signal produces melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep. So, in simpler terms, by staying in bed all day with the curtains closed and no exposure to light except for the lights on our screens, regardless of whether we expose ourselves to light in the afternoon, we don’t trigger the circadian rhythm light signal that sets off the timing for your sleep the next night.
Our circadian rhythm also regulates our sleep drive, which is our need to sleep. As our sleep drive is generated by the activity and exercise of the day, by nightfall, you will feel the need to sleep. By lying around all day, you don’t build up your sleep drive, making it more difficult to fall asleep. Furthermore, by using your bed for anything other than sleep, you’ll condition your brain into associating with activities other than sleep, eventually leading to difficulty of falling asleep in bed.
Mental Health
While the famous trend of bed-rotting initially served as a form of self-care and offered a welcoming escape from the real world and life’s problems, excessive indulgence in the behavior becomes more harmful than helpful to one’s mental health. First of all, choosing to bed rot means choosing to isolate oneself from others, which can lead to an increased risk of anxiety and depression, according to Charlie Health. Once the habit of isolating from others and solitude develops, anxiety and anticipation over social events may form into anxiety, leading to the avoidance of social interaction and a rebound effect where isolation and anxiety fuel each other. Although scrolling on TikTok may sound comforting and distracting from the numerous tasks you have to accomplish, escaping your problems won’t fulfill the need to accomplish them and will only prolong solving them and add to long-term distress, according to an article from Today. Lastly, bed rotting can act as a depression reinforcement as by isolating individuals from the demands of social interaction and sunlight, both of which are essential for well-being.
While spending the day in bed was initially used as a form of self-care, it can actually have detrimental effects on your mental health and your physical health. However, if you choose to stay in bed for the day, which might be needed every once in a while, it’s important to remember to balance it with breaks. Consider going outside for some physical activity and sunlight exposure or to engage in some social interaction such as facetiming or making plans with friends.
