Experimental objective:
If the “compensation for staying up late” time is shifted from late at night to daytime, will the same length of “controllable time” still bring a sense of satisfaction and control?
The experiment adopted the approach of “fixed sleep + daytime self-time” to test whether young people could still achieve psychological compensation effects without staying up late.
Questions to be explored:
1.Does the “compensatory satisfaction” of Revenge Bedtime Procrastination necessarily rely on the night?
2. If an equal “autonomy ” is provided during the day, can it reduce the willingness to stay up late voluntarily?
3. Behind late-night behavior, is it emotional compensation or cultural habit?
4. After the intervention, did the group report a decrease in the frequency of staying up late and intrinsic motivation?
Theoretical basis
- Polyphasic sleep – By dividing nighttime sleep, it tests whether the sleep structure requirements are met.
“Polyphasic Sleep.” Sleep Foundation,
This article introduces the concept of polyphasic sleep, a nontraditional sleep pattern that divides sleep into multiple episodes across the 24-hour cycle, rather than consolidating it into a single nocturnal period. Common schedules include Uberman, Everyman, and Dymaxion, each with varied distributions of core sleep and naps. Although this sleep structure can offer some people flexible time arrangements, long-term scientific research has not yet proven its superiority. Instead, it may disrupt the circadian rhythm and affect attention, memory and immune function.
Application to Sleep Transfer Intervention:
In sleep transfer experiments, polyphasic sleep can be used as an experimental variable to explore how participants adapt to cognitive and physiological changes under non-traditional rhythms. The sleep transfer experiment will combine the polyphasic sleep theory, aiming to shift the “compensation for staying up late” time from late at night to daytime, and test whether the same length of “controllable time” still brings satisfaction? It shifts the conscious “self-time” from late at night to a designated daytime window, testing whether time control and emotional satisfaction can still be achieved without staying up late.
2. Ramaswamy, C. (2020). The psychology behind revenge bedtime procrastination. BBC Worklife. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/worklife/article/20201123-the-psychology-behind-revenge-bedtime-procrastination .
The article focuses on “revenge bedtime procrastination”, that is, people who know they need rest but still actively delay going to bed to make up for the free time deprived by work or study during the day. This kind of behavior usually stems from a lack of initiative during the day, especially for those with high job demands, heavy caregiving responsibilities or high life pressures. Although this kind of behavior may bring short-term satisfaction, it can lead to long-term sleep deprivation and pose related health risks, causing fatigue, anxiety and cognitive decline. This phenomenon is often overlooked but poses a significant threat to the sleep health of modern people.
Application to Sleep Transfer Intervention:
The sleep transfer experiment shifts “nighttime autonomous activities” to the daytime or dusk, attempting to break the cognitive structure that “late at night = the only one belonging to oneself”, allowing individuals to experience self-control and relaxation compensation even during the day.
Preliminary Intervention plan
Participants:
College students(20-24) , who have the behaviour of Revenge Bedtime Procrastination.
Reasons for choosing the experimental subjects：My stakeholders are divided into two groups: students aged 20 to 24 and young workers aged 24 to 28. This intervention will focus on the student group because this experiment needs to be conducted during the day, when the student group has more time for the test. Workers usually have only a two-hour lunch break, making it difficult for them to conduct intervention experiments.
Phase 1: Regular Recording
Objective: To record the original behaviors and emotional motivations
Bedtime Record
-Which part of today feels the most “yours”?
-Do you think you can control your time today?
– What time do you go to bed? What were you doing at that time? Feeling: Satisfaction/Anxiety/freedom /?
Morning Record
– What time do you get up?
-How did you feel when you woke up?
-Are you deliberately delaying your bedtime? Why?
Phase 2: Sleep Reconstruction Experiment
-Mandatory sleep from 24:00 to 03:00 at night
-Arrange fixed “stolen time periods” during the day (for example, from 14:00 to 17:00, work/study is prohibited).
-Participants can “watch short videos/watch dramas/daydream” and so on – do what you usually do when you stay up late
Data collection
1. Sleep/Mood Diary (1-10) score
Interview – Follow-up record content:
-After this “controllable period of time”, have you gained a sense of satisfaction?
-Do you have the urge to keep delaying going to bed at night?
-Do you think this way of “stealing time during the day” is more free or less boring than at night?
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