Youngsters ‘rotting in mattress’ to ‘keep away from actual life’ nevertheless it won’t be all unhealthy

EXCLUSIVE: The term has often come to be used in a negative light – ‘rot’ is rarely used positively, after all – and often this is because they are using comfort to blinker themselves against reality

Having a lie-in is nothing new, but the term ‘bed rotting’ has become a mainstay in younger generations’ day-to-day language.

Videos about seemingly little more than having a lie-down have been flooding the internet and raking in massive views of, er, people lying in bed?

There’s a key difference however, which centres on the amount of time spent prone being taken to the extreme.

Dr Deborah Lee, a sleep expert working with Bed Factory Direct, said: “When someone lays in bed, usually scrolling through TikTok or binging TV shows for hours on end without doing anything productive, that is often what is being referred to as ‘bed rotting’.”

The term has often come to be used in a negative light – ‘rot’ is rarely used positively, after all – and often this is because they are using the feeling of comfort and safety to blinker themselves against the harsh demands of life.

“Those that ‘bed rot’ are often ignoring their day-to-day activity which can seem overwhelming,” Dr Lee said. “A lot of people are physically and emotionally overwhelmed with trying to balance everyday life.

“Some people will take to ‘bed rotting’ to avoid real-life work, but in reality, the to-do list will still be there when they finally take themselves out of bed. It’s very much an ‘ignorance is bliss’ approach to important admin tasks.

“Exercise is important in everyday life, even if it’s just walking around the house to do some cleaning or going on an actual walk to the shop. Avoiding these will be damaging for mobility and general health, especially if neglected for long periods of time.”

Despite that, there can be positive to a restful period. As we’ve already covered, life can be hectic.

“Bed rotting can be positive if it’s done as a genuine stance of needing to recover and rest, however, the term ‘rotting’ does have a negative impact,” Dr Lee explained.

“Perhaps renaming it as ‘intentional rest’ will put a bit more of a positive spin on this rather than the use of the term ‘to rot’ – it shifts the focus from being lazy and unproductive to purposeful relaxation, which we all need to get over our busy modern-day lives.”

As ever, it comes down to a matter of balance, with a rest and activity working together to help us get the most out of life. To help, Dr Lee gave us steps to follow to avoid both burnout and bed rot.

Breakfast

“It might be easy to just grab a breakfast bar or put some bread in the toaster, but a breakfast that is rich in both carbohydrates and protein should make you feel more alert quickly, and should avoid you getting back into bed. Avoiding sugar in the mornings is a great way to feel more alert.”

Morning exercise

“There aren’t many people that wake up in the morning and get excited by the thought of morning exercise. However, research has shown that doing a 30-minute workout with a medium effort will help you wake up a lot quicker than if you weren’t. Doing some morning steps will help you stay out of the bedroom later on in the day!”

Light

“When your eyes see light in the morning, it gives signals to your brain that it’s time to wake up. If you have blackout curtains, then this can be really confusing for the mind and you’ll naturally want to stay in bed for long periods of time. Invest in a night lamp so that you can put it on first thing in the morning. However, if you can utilise natural light by opening the curtains and getting outside as soon as possible then that’s a better option.”