Bedtime procrastination as a typical problem of self-regulation? Insights from the examination of heart rate variability, behavioral regulation and emotion regulation

Bedtime procrastination (BP), recognized as a common self-regulation issue, is linked to insufficient sleep and in turn, adverse health outcomes. However, the specific contributions of different components of self-regulation - particularly the biological underpinnings - remain insufficiently understood. This cross-sectional study aims to explore the relationship between BP and self-regulation components, namely vagally-mediated HRV (vmHRV) as physiological concomitant of self-regulation, behavioral regulation, and emotion regulation. A final sample of N = 135 adults completed a baseline vmHRV assessment and self-report questionnaires. The results show that higher BP was significantly predicted by lower vmHRV and greater difficulties in behavioral and emotion regulation. Additionally, brooding rumination significantly predicted BP, whereas cognitive reappraisal and reflective rumination did not. VmHRV was not significantly correlated with either behavioral or emotion regulation. Although the question remains whether self-regulation constitutes a unified construct, vmHRV, behavioral and emotion regulation each made unique contributions to the prediction of BP.