A new study reveals that college students with a high need to belong may sacrifice sleep for social interactions. This trend, termed “social bedtime procrastination,” impacts health and well-being.
In a new study published in the journal SLEEP, researchers from Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore reveals that college students who delay their bedtimes for social interactions are driven by a fundamental need to belong.
This discovery will be presented at the SLEEP 2025 annual meeting and highlights the social dynamics affecting sleep duration and quality among young adults.
The research team observed that college students who engaged in in-person social activities before bed slept more than an hour less on average during school nights. Their bedtime was closely tied to their last social interaction with friends.
Joshua Gooley, the principal investigator, emphasized the significance of the study.
“As far as we know, this is the first study to identify ‘need to belong’ as a potential driver of social bedtime procrastination and short sleep,” Gooley, an associate professor with the Neuroscience and Behavioural Disorders Programme at Duke-NUS Medical School, said in a news release.
The study monitored 104 students living in a residential college for two weeks. Participants, including 59 women, used an actigraph and proximity beacon watch to track sleep patterns and social interactions. They also completed daily diaries assessing their need for acceptance.
American Academy of Sleep Medicine guidelines recommend that adults get at least seven hours of sleep per night. However, the phenomenon known as bedtime procrastination — going to bed later despite recognizing potential negative consequences — impacts students’ ability to achieve this.
Gooley expressed surprise at the strength of their findings.
“We often think of sleep loss as being caused by screen time or work, but social needs, especially in group-living environments, can be just as powerful at influencing sleep,” he added.
This study will be presented by first author Venetia Kok Jing Tong, a doctoral candidate with the Neuroscience and Behavioural Disorders Programme at Duke-NUS Medical School on June 11 at SLEEP 2025 in Seattle.