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‘Bed rotting’: Good in moderation but move it to the couch

Bed rotting is an old concept, with a new name.

Bed rotting is an old concept, with a new name. Photo: Getty

“Bed rotting” is a new viral trend on TikTok, one that sounds gross but is also kind of appealing – though there might be a few health concerns attached.

Touted as a form of self-care, bed rotting is when you just stay in bed. You might decide to read, watch a TV show or have a few snacks while doing so.

Headlines from around the world point to Gen Z for coining the term. However, it’s something that spans pretty much every generation.

Associate Professor Jessica Paterson is a clinical psychologist from Flinders University, with expertise in the relationship between sleep, wakefulness and work history, particularly in young adults.

While she wasn’t familiar with the term “bed rotting”, she is familiar with the concept because that is itself nothing new.

Speaking to The New Daily, Professor Paterson said that, like anything, bed rotting is best practised in moderation. She explained how staying in bed for too long, or to an extreme, could lead to potentially negative knock-on effects.

The downside of not getting up

Staying in bed for extended periods with no expectation of falling asleep could impact mental and physical health and sleep.

“The more time we spend in bed and not asleep, the more we train our brain and our body to associate the bed with wakefulness, so the less likely we are to be able to fall asleep easily and to have a solid, restful sleep in that bed,” Professor Paterson said.

“So in terms of sleep, staying in the bed all day, particularly when you’re not sleeping or engaging in romance, it’s a really bad practice in terms of sleep.”

pictured is someone bed rotting

Bed rotting is an old concept, with a new name.

Depending on what the bedroom set up is, there’s a chance people are missing out on vital sunshine.

Professor Paterson explains that sunlight is important for resetting the brain and body for sleep and alertness, plus failing to get some sun at the right time of day could make it harder to fall asleep or wake up.

Personal hygiene can also take a hit if you’re staying between the sheets and not showering.

pictured is a teen in bed

“Bed rotting” is fine in moderation, but there are things to make it a bit more healthy.

There could be many reasons why someone would decide to give bed rotting a go. They might be burnt out or struggling with their mental health. Or they simply could just be avoiding something, whether that be procrastinating about a work task or not wanting to come face-to-face with a conflict.

“We know that the key to good psychological health is really being able to approach those things that frighten us, and so if it’s used as a way of avoiding then it’s probably going to have negative knock-on effects,” Professor Paterson said.

Rot on the couch instead

It’s okay to spend the day lounging around and doing nothing from time-to-time. But if you feel the need to do it, do it anywhere but in bed.

“There are ways to do it [bed rotting] because I understand that sometimes, you know, we all get burnt out and we’re all exhausted and I feel like that too. But even just relocating it from the bed to the couch could be a good move,” Professor Paterson suggested.

Just by moving the activity to the couch, you’re avoiding the potential negative consequences that accompany bed rotting.

Open the curtains and let some natural light in and, if possible, combine the physical inertia with another “valued” activity, like catching up with friends, reading or binging on something you enjoy.

“I think as long as you’re aware of why you’re engaging in the behaviour, and you feel like ‘okay, I just need to avoid that horrible thing for one day, and I’ll deal with it tomorrow’, then that’s fine,” Professor Paterson said.

“It’s important to be aware of why we’re doing the things we’re doing and not just blindly be a slave to our avoidance.”

Many were quick to brand “bed rotting” an entirely Gen Z thing, but it’s a concept that has been around for centuries.

However, in Professor Paterson’s experience working with young people she has found they are a little more kind to themselves, compared to older generations.

She explained she has observed a shift in the generations that are coming into their late adolescent years and young adulthood. Those young people are “more aware of the need for self care, the need for downtime” and are not wanting to push themselves to the “absolute limit of what is physically, mentally and professionally possible”.

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