How Bed Rotting Can Affect Your Mental Health

Getting out of bed can be challenging for many people, and spending an entire day lounging and relaxing might sound tempting. A popular term on social media, “bed rotting,” is often used to describe the practice of spending extended periods in bed for the purpose of relaxation. There are positive and negative elements associated with bed rotting. Below, explore how bed rotting can be beneficial in moderation and how excessive bed rotting can adversely affect mental and physical health. 

What is bed rotting?

While finding data regarding how many people engage in bed rotting may be difficult, some may benefit from the occasional extended relaxation period. However, bed rotting can be easily overused as a relaxation strategy and may not provide benefits if used too frequently. 

How does spending a lot of time in bed affect mental health?

Bed rotting in moderation may not be especially harmful to one’s health. However, bed rotting is associated with several activities that are known to impact overall well-being, such as a sedentary lifestyle, excessive social media use, and social isolation. 

The mental health impact of bed rotting

Mentally, bed rotting may provide a quick respite from life’s responsibilities, providing short-term benefits to well-being. However, spending all day in bed is often a tempting way to deal with stress that could cause people to avoid more conventional strategies. 

A lack of physical activity is associated with numerous mental health concerns, including a greater risk of depression and anxiety. Regular exercise is also a well-supported intervention that increases resilience to stress, and spending many days in bed may make stressors more challenging to manage. In contrast, healthier relaxation strategies often make stress easier to manage over time. 

The increased social media use associated with bed rotting might also be a concern. Social media users who use it excessively are more likely to develop anxiety disorders and other mental health concerns. Evidence suggests that interactions with others on social media aren’t a replacement for offline connections. Bed rotting might decrease the level of positive social interactions, which are considered essential for mental well-being. 

Bed rotting: Impacts on physical health

The bed rotting trend is most popular among young adults (Gen Z), who may be more resilient to health complications associated with a sedentary lifestyle due to their age. However, lounging around excessively can lead to several health effects, including an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorders like diabetes, high blood pressure, and musculoskeletal disorders. While many of those effects can take a while to appear, frequently using bed rotting as a coping mechanism may increase the risk of developing complications associated with a sedentary lifestyle. 

Lying in bed can make it harder to get motivated

While mental and physical health effects are likely to appear if bed rotting is a person’s exclusive coping strategy, even occasional use may lead to other effects, like a reduction in motivation. Sitting around in bed, watching TV, and scrolling through a phone may seem like an ideal way to relax, but the reality may not be that clear. Bed rotting provides easy access to pleasurable activities, and many people may prefer to spend time doing easy, fun activities than engaging in more challenging forms of self-care. Spending too much time in bed might increase procrastination, potentially increasing stress and reducing motivation.

Why sleep is important

Bed rotting isn’t the same as getting a good night’s rest. Getting adequate sleep is an essential part of self-care. Adults typically need seven to nine hours of sleep each night and should wake feeling rested each morning. Only excessive time in bed, involving spending hours more than usual lounging, has potential adverse effects. Improving sleep quality may help someone feel less tired during the day, which may make bed rotting less of a tempting option to relax. 

Improving sleep hygiene to spend less time in bed

“Sleep hygiene” refers to habits that enable a person to get a good night’s sleep. One of the most important aspects of sleep hygiene is a consistent sleep schedule. Maintaining regular sleep and wake times—even on weekends—helps regulate the body’s internal clock and makes it easier to fall asleep and wake up naturally. Another important aspect is the environment in which sleep occurs. People may find that a calm, dark, and cool room can significantly enhance sleep quality.

Below are some other sleep hygiene tips to help foster better sleep habits:

• Limit screen time: Avoid exposure to screens at least 30 minutes before bedtime.
• Avoid stimulants: Reduce caffeine and nicotine intake, especially in the evening.
• Practice a relaxing routine: Engage in calming activities, such as reading or meditation, before bed.
• Limit heavy meals: Refrain from large or spicy meals close to bedtime.
• Exercise regularly: Incorporate regular physical activity, but avoid vigorous exercise right before sleep.

Improving other aspects of self-care

Sleep, nutritious eating, and exercise are essential self-care skills. Without them, maintaining good mental and physical well-being can be challenging. However, other forms of self-care can also bolster well-being. For example, you may focus on building resilience.

Resilience describes how quickly a person can “bounce back” from adverse circumstances. Increasing resilience may make bed rotting less essential as a form of coping and may allow for less enjoyable but more effective coping strategies. It’s not necessary to give up bed rotting completely; the occasional day spent lounging around might not be harmful. However, avoiding bed rotting can be easier if other coping skills are available. 

Lying in bed can be habit-forming

For many, bed rotting represents the path of least resistance to relaxation and stress relief. Because bed rotting is often the easiest way to recover from stressful situations, it can also be a powerful tool for avoiding them. While no published research investigates the issue, experts are concerned that bed rotting can substantially increase the desire to procrastinate and seek distractions. Over time, it may become harder and harder to avoid procrastination and avoidance if bed rotting is the primary way someone deals with stress. 

Staying out of bed

An alternative coping strategy that may be helpful for bedrotting is mindfulness. Mindfulness prioritizes living in the present moment without allowing distressing feelings to become overwhelming. Developing a mindfulness meditation routine can be one way to start mindfulness. In addition, mindfulness may benefit those who use bed rotting to procrastinate or avoid problems. Other activities that might reduce the temptation of bed rotting include adopting new hobbies, socializing with others more frequently, and focusing on setting achievable goals. 

The many causes of bed rotting

A person might stay in bed all day for many reasons, including making a deliberate, considered decision to spend the occasional rare day bed rotting. However, if someone has trouble getting out of bed regularly, a mental or physical health problem may be involved. Mental health concerns like depression can reduce energy and motivation, and those experiencing moderate to severe depression often spend more time in bed than the general population. 

Anxiety due to stress or a desire to avoid problems can also lead to excessive bed rotting. Procrastinating under challenging situations can feel like a good short-term solution, but procrastination likely makes it more difficult to address the situation as time goes on. Sleep disruptions during typical sleeping hours might also be a cause. Chronic insomnia may increase exhaustion and make it harder to get out of bed in the morning or stay out of bed during the day. 

Addressing underlying concerns

Individuals can start addressing some of their concerns by increasing regular physical activity, eating nutritious meals, and getting enough sleep each night. Including stress-reducing activities that are not bed rotting in a person’s daily routine may make it easier for them to stay out of bed if bed rotting becomes excessive. Talk to a doctor to understand what foods, supplements, and vitamins may be best for you, especially if you’re experiencing physical symptoms like fatigue. 

Working with a professional

Professional help may be beneficial for someone who experiences the urge to try bed rotting frequently. For example, someone struggling to fall asleep at night may benefit from consulting a sleep medicine professional. Similarly, someone who stays in bed all day to procrastinate or avoid problems could benefit from speaking to a mental health professional. Whether the underlying cause is medical or psychological, working with a professional often offers the quickest path to symptom relief. In addition, you don’t need to have a diagnosable mental illness or condition to receive support from a therapist. Therapy can also be a tool to increase your self-care knowledge and capabilities. 

Online therapy for bed rotting and mental health support 

Mental health professionals can help with many causes that might underlie bed rotting, but not everyone can easily access their services. Barriers to mental healthcare often include traveling long distances and excessive costs. In addition, some clients might also find that the out-of-pocket cost of therapists near them is excessive. While these barriers can be profound, online therapy through a platform like BetterHelp can often be a solution.  

Online therapists are licensed and qualified mental health professionals with the same training and qualifications as traditional therapists. However, online therapy allows a person to attend sessions from their home or another comfortable location, removing barriers related to travel. The cost of online therapy can also be cheaper than in-person therapy for many. While some have voiced concern regarding whether online therapy works as well as in-person therapy, contemporary research suggests that, in most cases, online therapy is as effective as in-person therapy.