Sleep procrastination in the context of electronic device overuse as a contemporary public health threat

Aim. The aim of the study was to analyse health-related behaviors associated with sleep procrastination and electronic device usage in the context of their relationship with the self-assessed health and sleep quality of the participants. Material and methods. The study was conducted on a group of 555 adults using a custom-designed questionnaire distributed electronically, along with the standardised tool Pure Procrastination Scale. Results. Participants who declared sleep procrastination reported significantly lower levels of self-assessed general health (p=0.000), self-assessed sleep quality and feeling well-rested (p=0.000), physical activity levels (p=0.000), self-assessed healthy eating habits (p=0.000), and overall procrastination (p=0.000). However, sleep procrastination was not associated with the participants’ age (p=0.08). Conclusions. The available scientific literature highlights the negative impact of electronic device usage before bedtime on sleep quality, sleep duration, and overall health. Sleep procrastination itself is associated with serious health issues. The scale of this phenomenon, as indicated by the study findings, underscores the need for increased educational efforts to limit harmful electronic device usage and to recognize sleep procrastination as a significant public health concern.