Bed rotting has quickly emerged as a popular form of self-care amongst members of Generation Z on TikTok and beyond. But, the real question is- is it a healthy form of self-care?
Mental health experts agree that self-care is necessary to effectively manage stress and to boost your energy, but it also may leave many other people questioning what the line is between self-care and potentially harmful behavior.
Anchor Therapy is a counseling center in Hoboken, NJ with mental health therapists specialized in helping children, teens, adults, couples, and families with anxiety, depression, relationship issues, trauma, life transitions, and more. Anchor Therapy is accepting new clients and is now providing in-person sessions and teletherapy sessions to residents of New Jersey, New York, and Florida.
What is bed rotting?
At some point in our lives, pretty much everyone has spent a whole day in bed. Maybe you were recovering from the flu, or trying to get over a pretty nasty hangover. Perhaps you did not sleep well the night before and are attempting to recover some lost rest. Or, you and your significant other just broke up, and all you want to do is eat ice cream in bed while watching a romantic comedy.
These examples are likely to be temporary situations, not recurring things. However, the ‘bed rotting’ trend takes it a step further.
Bed rotting means that you spent an entire day (or even an entire weekend) in bed. You do nothing while doing everything at the same time. That is to say, you nap, catch up on your television shows, watch your favorite movie, eat, and of course doom-scroll on social media.
The idea behind bed rotting is that one or two days under the blankets will help alleviate the stress you endure during the week at work or school. Bed rotting is often thought of as a way to cope with the lack of sleep and/or burnout you are experiencing by, hopefully, offsetting some of the tiredness and lack of energy you are experiencing.
Is it bad to lay around all day?
At its core, bed rotting, or simply laying around all day, is not a bad thing. But, of course the intention behind it matters and what you are doing while you are bed rotting is an important thing to note.
Bed rotting can be seen as a form of protest where you are reclaiming your time. Instead of doing things that society deems to be important or noteworthy, you are choosing how to spend your time on your own terms.
Instead of working, exercising, studying, or doing other “productive” things, you are making the active decision to simply rest. This can be a foreign concept for Americans and others since we are so used to a fast-paced culture where we have to constantly be on the move and doing something. There can be an art to doing nothing.
Some people find the practice of bed rotting to be restorative. It gives them mental focus and allows them to recharge their social battery for the week of school and/or work ahead.
If bed rotting is done in a healthy manner, it can be a healthy self-care practice. For more information on self-care, check out our blog “The 8 Forms of Self-Care and How You Can Practice Them.”
It is okay to have a day where you lay in bed all day to reset and recharge but if you are doing it to avoid things or it becomes a regular habit, that may be a cause for concern.
For example, let us say that every time you have a fun activity planned with friends, you cancel and bed rot all day. In other words, you are trying to avoid your social responsibilities which is not healthy. If you are dealing with a similar social anxiety-induced situation, it may be helpful to speak about this with an anxiety therapist at Anchor Therapy to get to the root of your discomfort. For more guidance, read our blog “6 Helpful Tips for Living with Social Anxiety.”
Bed rotting should be thought of as a moment, not a lifestyle. If you are bed rotting every day, that may signal that there is a deeper emotional issue, such as depression, going on and you should seek the support of a licensed mental health professional.
Bed rotting can turn unhealthy if you are staying in bed longer than a day or weekend here or there, or if you are doing it more and more often. For instance, you may start off bed rotting on Sundays, then before you know it you are doing it for the entire or weekend. Eventually, bed rotting can start swallowing up weekdays too. It can be a slippery slope if you do not monitor the situation appropriately.
The benefits of bed rotting
Many anecdotes surrounding bed rotting may include people doing it to avoid burnout with work or school. For introverts, spending time alone in bed can also be a way to ensure that their social battery is fully charged before facing family and friends again. For more, read “Find Out If You’re An Introvert or Extrovert.”
If your motivation for bed rotting is to catch up on sleep, you are not alone. ‘Catch-up sleep’ refers to sleeping more on the weekends or days when you do not have work or school so you can compensate for sleep you did not receive on the days you go to work or school. Catching up on lost sleep can help you avoid the negative mental and physical health effects of not receiving enough sleep.
If you are not getting a good amount of sleep most nights, bed rotting can be an effective means to catch up on sleep since it may potentially help you. With that being said, bed rotting should not be a long-term strategy. Many sleep experts agree that playing ‘catch up’ on sleep is not as healthy as maintaining a consistent sleep schedule every day of the week. To learn more, read a blog by our psychotherapist Rebecca Bischoff, LCSW: “Unlocking the Secrets of Quality Sleep: A Therapist’s Perspective on Sleep Hygiene and Insomnia.”
Bed rotting can also include rest. When we think of rest, we may think of sleep but it includes so much more. Rest is a very important part of recovery for humans. Rest can be defined as time spent where you feel a sense of comfort and relief.
When you are resting, you are not focused on work, school, personal problems going on in your life, or your never-ending to-do list. When you are well-rested, your mind, body, and spirit will be nourished. If bed rotting helps you feel rested, it can be a healthy activity for you.
Here are some benefits of bed rotting:
Low-effort activity that is accessible for all
Improved mood
Creative thinking
Physical rest
Stress relief (For more information, read “Everything You Need to Know About Stress Management Therapy”)
Emotional recovery (Check out our blog “How to Regulate Your Emotions” to learn more)
The downside of bed rotting
Bed rotting can offer a host of benefits, but there also comes a downside with this practice, especially if you do it a lot or for extended amounts of time.
While short periods of time in bed can be viewed as being very relaxing, excessive time in bed can actually worsen symptoms of anxiety and depression. It can create a cycle of inactivity and negative emotions.
For somebody who is depressed, bed rotting can be used as a way to withdraw from other people and not have social connections. Take our Depression Quiz to find out more.
For somebody who is anxious, bed rotting may feel like the perfect escape in the short-term, but you may just be using it to avoid what is making you feel anxious. If you continue to bed rot instead of facing your anxious thoughts and fears, it can reinforce this idea that your anxiety is right and you cannot handle whatever it is that you are afraid of. Take our Anxiety Quiz to find out more.
Spending too much time in bed can also lead to social isolation which will worsen mental health further. Check out our blog “How to Battle the Loneliness Epidemic.”
While we know that bed rotting can have serious mental health implications, did you know that there are physical effects to it as well?
Extended periods of time laying down and doing nothing can lead to serious issues, such as muscle atrophy. This can occur especially if you are not balancing out bed rotting with regular exercise. A lack of physical activity may trigger cardiovascular problems, like high blood pressure, obesity, and heart disease.
Bed rotting for long periods of time can reduce your motivation levels, making it hard to engage in productive activities, from personal responsibilities and hobbies to work. Bed rotting may also be used as a form of procrastination where you delay doing certain tasks and important activities. For support, check out our blog “3 Ways to Achieve Work-Life Balance.”
We discussed the positive impact that bed rotting can have on sleep but, in some cases, bed rotting can actually hurt someone’s sleep quality and quantity. Staying in bed for long periods of time, especially during daylight, can disrupt your body’s natural sleeping patterns. This can lead to insomnia or additional sleep disorders. To learn more, our blog “How CBT Can Help With Your Insomnia” is a must-read.
Your brain is also extremely smart in picking up on subtle and making connections. Whereas before bed rotting, you may have learned to associate your bed with sleep. After bed rotting, your brain may connect your bed with wakefulness. This can cause a lot of anxiety since your normal sleep patterns have been thrown off. For guidance, read “3 Ways to Relieve Sleep Anxiety.”
Our goal should always be to lead a structured and balanced lifestyle. If bed rotting is getting in the way of this for you and you find that you are avoiding responsibilities, it is advised to seek the help of a depression counselor.
How to bed rot safely
If you are someone who enjoys bed rotting, you do not have to give it up entirely. To mitigate the negative mental and physical health effects of bed rotting, you can try to strike a healthy balance between rest and activity.
To do so, you can try to engage in regular physical exercise, maintain a structured daily routine, and ensure that you have a good social network.
To bed rot safely, you can:
Set time limits - Allocate specific periods for bed rotting. For example, maybe you do not bed rot all Sunday. Instead, you go grocery shopping and get your chores done in the morning so you are prepped for the week, and you bed rot in the late afternoon and evening. This ensures that you are meeting your personal responsibilities while relaxing for the work or school week ahead.
Incorporate movement - To keep your muscles engaged and your blood circulating, you may want to incorporate some light stretching and regular breaks. Perhaps you try out some yoga poses, or take breaks to stand up, walk around, and do light exercises.
Engage your mind - Bed rotting can be a great task to shut off your personal or professional responsibilities, but you do not want to ‘shut off’ your mind. Read a book, listen to a podcast, or engage in a creative activity, like sketching, to keep yourself occupied.
Stay connected - While laying in bed all day may seem like a perfect opportunity to disconnect from the real world, that can be damaging to your social connections. Use phone or video calls to stay up-to-date with loved ones, ensuring that your relationships are being nurtured. Avoid using bed rotting as a tool to escape social situations.
Bed rotting can be a comfortable and renewing experience if you do the practice correctly. The practice should be done mindfully and in moderation. Balancing bed rotting with social connection, physical activity, and a structured routine is very important to maintaining both good mental and physical health.
If you find that bed rotting is negatively impacting your health, you should seek the support of a licensed mental health counselor. A stress and depression therapist at Anchor Therapy will be able to provide support and guidance so you can have a healthy lifestyle. Self-care is about discovering what works best for you!
Victoria Scala
is the Social Media Manager and Intake Coordinator at Anchor Therapy in Hoboken, New Jersey. She is a graduate of the Honors College of Rutgers University-Newark. In her roles, Victoria is committed to managing the office’s social media presence and prioritizing clients' needs.
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