Instant Enjoyment above Sleep: A Cross-sectional Study on the Relationship between Delay Discounting and Sleep Health with the Mediating Role of Bedtime Procrastination

Abstract

Background: Sleep health is crucial for individual’s well-being, encompassing subjective satisfaction, timing, duration, efficiency, and sustained alertness. Bedtime procrastination, defined as delaying bedtime without external reasons, is a common behavior that disrupts sleep health and reflects self-regulation failures. Method: This cross-sectional mediation study involved 106 university students (76 females, mean age 23.90 years) to examine the relationship between delay discounting (evaluated via the Monetary Choice Questionnaire) and sleep health (assessed using the SATED questionnaire), mediated by bedtime procrastination (measured with the Bedtime Procrastination Scale). Results: Delay discounting negatively predicted sleep health (β = -5.55, p = 0.017), but bedtime procrastination did not significantly mediate this relationship (indirect effect β = -0.21, p = 0.99). Bedtime procrastination independently negatively affected sleep health (β = -1.12, p < 0.001). Conclusions: While delay discounting directly impacts sleep health, bedtime procrastination did not mediate this relationship as hypothesized. These findings underscore the complexity of behavioral influences on sleep and suggest the need for tailored interventions targeting delay discounting to improve sleep health.