‘Bed rotting’ is becoming a trend among young people

As unappealing as the word sounds, bed rotting has become a new trend among the young. Trends abound and this one is taking off if Tik Tok accounts are anything to go by. What exactly is this? Well for one thing is definitely not about not washing or changing your sheets if that’s what you’re guessing.

What is the meaning of bed rotting

Bed rotting simply means staying in bed all day long and not caring about what is happening outside. Just curling up in your own little world under the sheets.

Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Washington University Dr Jessi Gold posted on Tik Tok addressing the issue of bed rotting;

“I just learned this word, bed rotting and apparently it’s like you’re so tired and so stressed out that you just don’t leave your bed, and that’s what you do to cope.

“I think a lot of us do that. We say I’m tired, because stress makes us tired, being anxious makes us tired, not sleeping because of both makes us tired.

“But while we need sleep we need to ask ourselves is the sleep restorative or avoidant.

“Are you sleeping because you don’t want to be awake, because of stress and anxiety or the things you have to do, or are you sleeping because you actually need it?

“You don’t always have to fight the urge to bed rot, but ask yourself why.”

Bustle magazine says that the epitome of bed rotting is “To lie in bed for as long as possible and fully give in to any mental or physical fatigue you might be experiencing.”

Hustle Culture

Basically it’s the opposite of the hustle culture and it’s not depression. The younger generation say it is the antidote to burnout.

“Gen Z is making bed rotting a thing and I finally feel on trend,” said one person on Twitter.

There are however detractors and some experts feel it is quite damaging.

Dr Katrina Ostmeyer, Psychologist and CEO at Beyond the Individual LLC told Sleepopolis, “While most people enjoy a good lazy day, the new trend of ‘sleep rotting’ seems like a way to popularize a behaviour pattern that can be very harmful to many.”

Ostmeyer says that it can point to signs of a mental health disorder and also increases the likelihood of developing mood disorders.

“When we spend our day laying in bed and engaged in passive activities, we limit the opportunities to encounter reinforcement and meaning in our lives,” she says.

For the most part sleeping in maybe a harmless activity but too much of it is definitely not good for your physical or mental well-being.

The photo above is from a YouTube screen grab