--- title: Is Bed Rotting Bad for You? description: The Tiktok trend involves spending the entire day in bed relaxing as a way to decompress from life’s stressors. canonical: https://time.com/7006944/is-bed-rotting-bad-for-you/ author: Jamie Friedlander Serrano article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2024-08-02T17:08:57.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:50:22.370Z article:section: Health og:title: Is Bed Rotting Bad for You? og:description: The Tiktok trend involves spending the entire day in bed relaxing as a way to decompress from life’s stressors. og:url: https://time.com/7006944/is-bed-rotting-bad-for-you/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7158fd270aa49aca/698a598716d884f73fc3ef06/Bedrotting.gif?branch=production&width=1080&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1080 og:image:height: 608 og:image:alt: Bed rotting og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Is Bed Rotting Bad for You? twitter:description: The Tiktok trend involves spending the entire day in bed relaxing as a way to decompress from life’s stressors. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7158fd270aa49aca/698a598716d884f73fc3ef06/Bedrotting.gif?branch=production&width=1080&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Is Bed Rotting Bad for You? > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=c84639e6-21e1-46f9-9906-74d6c40c8ddb&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Hitting the Snooze Button May Not Be as Bad as You Think [Watch (HLS stream): Hitting the Snooze Button May Not Be as Bad as You Think](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/z2liolYC.m3u8) (3:00)  _Published 2023-11-02. Many sleep experts take a dim view of using the snooze button in the morning. But the science on snoozing isn't conclusive._ by [Jamie Friedlander Serrano](https://time.com/author/jamie-friedlander-serrano/) ## Jamie Friedlander Serrano Serrano is a contributor for TIME. Aug 2, 2024 5:08 PM UTC  Photo-illustration by TIME by [Jamie Friedlander Serrano](https://time.com/author/jamie-friedlander-serrano/) ## Jamie Friedlander Serrano Serrano is a contributor for TIME. Aug 2, 2024 5:08 PM UTC Burnout is [steadily rising](https://futureforum.com/research/future-forum-pulse-winter-2022-2023-snapshot/#how-does-access-to-flexibility-affect-burnout) worldwide—and people are coping in very different ways. Some deal with their stress and exhaustion by binge-watching Netflix shows, hitting the gym, meditating, or crafting. As for others? They try [bed rotting](https://www.tiktok.com/discover/bed-rotting?lang=en). The [Tiktok trend](https://www.tiktok.com/discover/bed-rotting?lang=en) is (usually) less repulsive than it sounds; it simply involves spending the entire day in bed relaxing, or “rotting away,” as a way to decompress from life’s stressors. “In our society, there’s an emphasis on being productive,” says Laurence Chan, instructor of medical psychology at Columbia University. “And bed rotting might be one socially acceptable way to say that you need a time-out and you’re looking to recharge.” Resting regularly is [good for you](https://time.com/6981061/relaxation-health-benefits/), but bed rotting for too long or too often can indicate a deeper mental-health issue. “It can be difficult to disentangle what is a self-care day from what is a low or major depression, and when should you seek help?” says Stephanie Preston, a professor of psychology at the University of Michigan. ## Moderation is key If you’re only bed rotting once or twice a month to cope with stress, it’s likely an acceptable form of self-care that isn’t damaging your mental health, Preston says. But if you find yourself lying in bed multiple days a week, she says, there could be a deeper mental-health issue at play, like anxiety or depression. Notice whether the activity is impacting your ability to keep up with work, family, or school obligations, as well as whether you’re struggling with basic hygiene. “You’re [not showering](https://time.com/6999556/how-often-should-you-shower/), you’re [not brushing your teeth](https://time.com/7001852/mental-health-impacts-dental-health/), you’re not putting on clean clothes—that’s when you might suspect depression,” Preston says. Bed rotting could also be a coping mechanism for an anxiety disorder, Chan says. Someone with problematic anxiety could be using the self-care trend as a way to avoid certain things in their life. This could “reinforce that it’s safer to avoid the things that we’re avoiding, and then we might believe that we’re not able or capable of handling them,” he says. **Read More**: [_How to Be More Spontaneous As a Busy Adult_](https://time.com/7005581/how-to-be-more-spontaneous/) That's the tricky thing about bed rotting: While it might seem like an effective way to decompress, doing it too often or for too long will only worsen depression or anxiety. “While avoiding stress may feel good in the moment, prolonged avoidance is actually linked with long-term distress and greater dysfunction,” Chan says. This is partially because we’re sedentary when we bed rot, and moving our bodies is essential for both our physical and mental health. ## The anxious generation Many of the bed-rotting TikTok videos are from users in Gen Z, a group that was born between 1997 and 2012\. Research has shown that Gen Z is, generally speaking, [more anxious](https://www.apa.org/topics/stress/generation-z-millennials-young-adults-worries) than other generations. Countless [factors](https://www.deloitte.com/global/en/issues/work/content/genz-millennialsurvey.html) contribute to this increased anxiety, from the years-long COVID-19 pandemic to increasing worry about cost of living and climate change. “I think that in today’s world, what Gen Z and later generations are facing is very different from their grandparents and parents,” says Dr. Justin Kei, a psychiatrist and medical director for the outpatient behavioral health clinic at Hackensack University Medical Center. “So we should be mindful that there’s probably a reason for \[bed rotting\].” ## The sleep connection Spending an entire day resting can be restorative. But even if you feel relaxed during a lazy day, you could be setting yourself up for sleep issues that night—and for many nights to come. “Our nighttime sleep is heavily influenced by our daytime behaviors,” says Joe Dzierzewski, vice president of research and scientific affairs at the National Sleep Foundation. If we spend too much time in bed during the day—even if we’re not strictly sleeping—we’re likely not getting enough bright light, exercise, and nutritious meals at the appropriate time. All of these are “important daytime contributors to healthy sleep,” he says. **Read More**: [_8 Eating Habits That Actually Improve Your Sleep_](https://time.com/6999517/what-foods-to-eat-for-sleep/) Bed rotting can also have a long-term effect on sleep. When you spend time in bed not sleeping, “the brain makes an association that bed is a place where you stress and worry and watch TV and study and do everything else except sleep,” Kei says. This behavior over extended periods of time, he says, can lead to insomnia. Some TikTokers who engage in bed rotting record themselves napping throughout the day. Dzierzewski notes that [research](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33054339/) has shown weekend “catch-up” sleep can actually help us recover from a sleep deficit from the previous week. But it’s important “to limit the extra sleep to one or two hours on non-workdays,” he says. ## How to bed rot the right way Some TikTokers tout the benefits of bed rotting, mentioning how refreshed and recharged they feel afterward. Others say they feel guilty or gross after spending a day or weekend cooped up under the covers. To be clear, there are far healthier ways to spend a day than curled up in bed. But if you’re headed under the covers anyway, consider these tips. * **Get up and stretch every few hours.** Sitting still for extended periods of time can impact mood, slow digestion, and strain the muscles. Chan recommends setting timers to get up and stretch throughout the day. * **Opt for the couch instead.** Spending the day in bed can confuse your brain and interfere with nighttime sleep. Because of this, Chan recommends bed rotting on the couch, on a comfy chair, or in a hammock instead. * **Call or text a friend.** Many bed rotting videos on TikTok show people surfing their phones all day. While social media has its place in our lives, Kei says, “real human connection in day-to-day life is extremely important for maintaining a sense of wellness.” Chat with a friend, or even consider bed rotting with them: Some TikTokers document themselves [bed rotting together](https://www.tiktok.com/@sophia.gabrielle%5Fq/video/7356278949619502382?lang=en&q=%23bedrotting&t=1722273858710). * **Set limits for yourself.** Chan recommends people limit their bed rotting to one or two days in a row while also taking breaks and, if possible, engaging in physical activity throughout the day. * **Be mindful of your social-media use.** Countless [research ](https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract%5Fid=3919760)[studies](https://www.mckinsey.com/mhi/our-insights/gen-z-mental-health-the-impact-of-tech-and-social-media) have shown a correlation between social-media use and mental-health issues, Chan says. If social media tends to stress you out, avoid it. But in some cases, surfing Instagram or Reddit could be OK. “While it sounds terrible to stare at your phone for nine hours, I think if your brain is fried, it’s a mindless activity that doesn’t challenge your brain and keeps you entertained,” Preston says. “So it’s not necessarily problematic.” ### More From TIME ## Transcript I think people pretty widely assumed that using the snooze button is bad because it sort of carries his kind of Tatian that you are lazy or that you need extra time in bed or for whatever reason, you know, our society is very oriented towards things that happened early in the morning typical work schedule start at 9 that kind of thing and there's a popular perception that is that it's better to be a morning person and I think snoozing kind of goes against that idea There are a couple reasons why people snooze one is that they find it easier to wake up if they have kind of gone back into a half asleep or dozing State and are not waking up, you know. Lee from a deep sleep and the other reason is just that people are really tired and when their alarm goes off, they're not quite ready to get out of bed. One reason that people think snoozing is bad is that you are prematurely pulling yourself out of deep sleep and replacing it with lighter sleep after you go back to sleep. There's some studies and do suggest. That's not that great for you but others find that it can actually be easier to wake up and feel alert. If you are waking up from light sleep instead of deep sleep so it might help with things like morning grogginess or like feeling as though your brain needs time to turn on in the morning if you have snoozed before getting up, Another reason that people think snoozing is not good for you is that it just signifies that you're not getting enough sleep at night and I guess you were so tired that you need to hit the snooze button that kind of suggested that you something's wrong with your sleep. And that might be the case for some people but several studies that I saw suggested that people who snooze don't get less sleep over all and don't get poor quality sleep. So it's not necessarily a signal of a bigger problem. When is the most common sleep tips that I hear in talking to experts is that you should try to go to bed and wake up at pretty much the same time every day because that helps your body kind of get in a rhythm of going to sleep and waking up. Where is if you are going to bed at midnight one night and then 10 the next night and then the next night your body kind of gets confused and doesn't know when it should be sleeping so it can be harder to fall asleep that way. There's no one-size-fits-all like for some people if if your alarm goes off at 7 and you're supposed to get up at 7, but you can't get yourself out of bed until 8, like maybe that is a sign that you didn't get enough sleep the night before that your sleep is poor quality, but for people who just find it a more pleasant way to wake up and it's kind of built into their daily routine from what I could find. 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