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Toxic productivity culturemakes it hard for people to enjoy downtime, especially young people who see the best things people do daily plastered across their social media feeds. As a 20-year-old college student myself, I can attest to this.
My friends and I constantly experiencedaily stressfrom our school, work, and social lives, but we also seem to worry about our future and the future of the world around us more than generations before. It’s exhausting. And sometimes, we just need a break.
But, when I find myself lounging in bed with my dog or absent-mindedly scrolling on my phone for an hour when I get home from work, I feelguilty and angryat myself. Despite young people experiencing increasingly high stress levels, rivaling that of most adults,it can often feel like giving ourselves a break is giving up.
Enter “bed-rotting,” a new self-care trend popularized on TikTok that essentially means laying in bed and doing nothing as a way to decompress and cope with the stressors of our everyday lives. It brings an intentional aspect to doing nothing, telling people that it is okay to just lay, or “rot,” in bed if you need to.
But, is actually bed-rotting healthy? This article explains what bed-rotting looks like and how to do it in a way that will most benefit you.
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What is bed-rotting?
Bed rotting emerged in the last couple of months on TikTok as a new type ofself-caretrend. Rather than typical TikTok trends that encourage people to establish extensive skincare routines, journal every day, or go for “hot girl” walks, bed rotting encourages you to simply lie in bed and allow yourself to do nothing.
While the name sounds gross, it helps give people permission to be a little slovenly and unproductive without the typical judgment from themself and others for a day like this, which can be very therapeutic. Oftentimes, at the end of a long day of classes, my friends and I say we just need to be horizontal. It doesn’t matter what we are doing—starting homework, debriefing the day, calling our family – but it needs to be done lying down.
Bed-rotting is all about intentionally giving yourself time to rest like this without the guilt, which may be just what some people need after a long taxing day or week.
However, while TikTok has popularized the trend, it has also critiqued it. Critics of bed-rotting say it encourages low moods, or that it is simply lazy. Others say lying in bed for long periods of time will disrupt your sleep cycle.
What do the experts think?
Setting aside time to relax and disconnect from your everyday stressors and responsibilities is undoubtedly important, but toxic productivity culture has left us with little time to do this, saysBianca Rodriguez, psychotherapist and LMFT.
But, while setting aside time to rest and recharge is beneficial,Annie Miller, licensed therapist and sleep specialist, says bed-rotting is one of the worst things you can do for yoursleep.
She says it is important to reserve your bed as a place only for sleep, and bed-rotting disrupts this, Miller says. She says no activities, other than sleeping and sex, should be done in bed.
“You want to keep a strong association that the bed is for sleep, which is an idea based onconditioning. This helps you sleep more easily when it’s time for bed,” she says.
Additionally, lying in bed all day disrupts your sleep drive, the body’s need to sleep, Miller says. This is another way bed-rotting could possibly negatively impact your sleep.
When does bed-rotting become concerning?
It is also important to note that sitting in bed for extended periods of time is frequently associated with depression, and a habit of lying in bed all day, like bed-rotting, can indicate serious mental health problems.
“If you’re unable to maintain friendships or are calling out of work or school because you can’t get out of bed. These behaviors can indicate that a person is suffering fromdepressionor another mental or physical health issue,” Rodriguez says.
In this case, you shouldconsult a professional.
However, feeling the need to bed-rot often does not always mean you’re depressed. It can also indicate a lifestyle issue. If showing up for life is so difficult that it requires you to bed-rot whenever you complete your responsibilities, that may be an indicator that you should evaluate certain aspects of your life, Rodriguez says.
You may need to take time to think about your lifestyle and if what you are doing brings you joy and fulfillment. “Life’s not supposed to be that challenging all of the time.Explore what brings you joyand energy and try incorporating more into your schedule,” Rodriguez says.
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How To Get the Most Out of Your Bed-Rotting
Bed-rotting is a healthier habit if it is combined with other forms of self-care and not done for an entire day.
Breaking up your day and pursuing other forms of activity makes bed-rotting healthier and more rewarding, even if it just means going on a walk, or seeing some friends for a bit.
“If you include some morning time outside and exposure tosunlight, as well as some activity, this will help with sleep drive, as well as with yourcircadian rhythm. So if you want to relax and spend time resting, just try to include light andmovementas well, to allow for more balance,” Miller says.
Miller also says it is healthier to relax and unwind in a place other than your bed to prevent the disruption of your association that your bed is for sleep—so think couch-rotting rather than bed-rotting.
Bed-rotting can also be somewhat isolating, so maybe call someone you haven’t spoken to in a while and speak to them from bed. Or, even better, choose a movie and relax with a friend!
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Final Thoughts
Social mediais constantly making us feel like we are not doing enough and can’t live up to others so, in my book, any social media trend that tells you to take a break and take care of yourself is a good thing. But would I, or any doctor, encourage you to stay in bed all day as the answer to your stress? Definitely not!
However, what I am taking away from the bed-rotting trend is that we all need to give ourselves time torelaxand just be without judgment or guilt. it’s just another tool in the anti-stress toolbox.
If for you that means sitting in bed with your favorite snacks and watching a movie in the middle of the day, so be it. But it can also mean getting into bed thirty minutes early to cuddle up with your favorite book, or getting home and sitting with your pet for an hour while listening to a podcast.
Let yourself off the hook and be compassionate with yourself so you can do what you need to decompress, no matter how unproductive you may feel.
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1 SourceVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Psychological Association survey shows teen stress rivals that of adults. https://www.apa.org.
1 Source
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Psychological Association survey shows teen stress rivals that of adults. https://www.apa.org.
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
American Psychological Association survey shows teen stress rivals that of adults. https://www.apa.org.
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