Frequently Asked Questions

Study-defined bedtime procrastination was present in 20.2% of students, based on Bedtime Procrastination Scale scores of 36–45. In the same sample of 560 university students, 9.6% scored 9–18, which the investigators operationalized as a regular bedtime. Depending on the individual scale item, about 23%–52% of students showed bedtime procrastination and about 18%–37% conformed to a reasonably regular bedtime.

Two-fifths of the sample reported poor sleep: 230 of 560 students, or 41.1%, answered yes to the question, “Do you suffer from poor sleep?” Students also reported a median of 7 hours of sleep per night on weekdays, daytime tiredness for a median of 3 days per week, and sleeping too little for a median of 2 days per week.

Yes. Higher Bedtime Procrastination Scale scores were associated with worse sleep indicators in this sample. Scores correlated with fewer hours of sleep (r = −0.17), more daytime tiredness during the week (r = 0.26), and more days with too little sleep (r = 0.36); all P values were < .001.

Yes. Students who reported poor sleep had significantly higher Bedtime Procrastination Scale scores than those who did not report poor sleep. The mean (SD) score was 31.7 (6.9) in students with poor sleep versus 27.3 (7.5) in those without poor sleep (t = 7.08, df = 558, P < .001).

Yes. Students who reported external, environmental, or other factors interfering with sleep had higher bedtime procrastination scores than those who did not report such factors. The mean (SD) Bedtime Procrastination Scale score was 31.0 (7.5) versus 27.9 (7.3) (t = 4.84, df = 558, P < .001).

• No sex difference was found. Mean (SD) Bedtime Procrastination Scale scores were 29.0 (7.5) in males and 29.2 (7.6) in females (t = 0.33, df = 558, P = .74).
• No significant difference by academic stage was found. Students less than halfway through coursework had mean (SD) scores of 28.6 (7.5), and final-year students had scores of 29.9 (7.0) (t = 1.57, df = 500, P = .12).

No significant difference was found between students who reported a medical or psychological illness interfering with sleep and those who did not. The mean (SD) Bedtime Procrastination Scale score was 30.2 (6.9) in the illness group versus 29.0 (7.6) in the group without such illness (t = 0.94, df = 558, P = .35).

The 9-item Bedtime Procrastination Scale produced a 2-factor solution in this sample, not the single-factor structure reported in the original development study. Factor 1 explained 29.3% of the variance and factor 2 explained 20.0%, for a total of 49.3%. Items 1, 4, 5, 6, and 9 loaded on factor 1, whereas items 2, 3, 7, and 9 loaded on factor 2.

The authors concluded that the Bedtime Procrastination Scale may require revision for use in India because the factor split appeared to track forward-scored versus reverse-scored items, raising the possibility of a response-format artifact rather than a clean measurement of bedtime procrastination. They also noted that the 2 factors explained only 49.3% of the variance and identified wording problems in some items, including questions about having a regular bedtime and wanting to go to bed on time.

This was an exploratory, cross-sectional survey conducted from November 2021 to December 2021 among university students at Navrachana University in Gujarat, India. A total of 567 students were approached in their classrooms, completed forms were received from 560 students, and those 560 datasets were analyzed. The survey included sociodemographic and sleep questions, the 9-item Bedtime Procrastination Scale, and additional sleep-related items used in the original Bedtime Procrastination Scale study.

The authors described this as a preliminary epidemiologic study and noted that it did not examine causes of bedtime procrastination, such as screen addiction, or the medical and psychological consequences of bedtime procrastination. They also emphasized that the study was conducted in one university sample and was intended in part to test the Bedtime Procrastination Scale in Indian students.