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Doctors warn the Gen Z ‘bedtime stacking’ trend is an insomnia trap and one-way ticket to morning burnout — here’s what they recommend focusing on instead
Step aside bedrotting, there's a new sleep habit taking TikTok by storm — and sleep experts are warning that it could cause insomnia and 3 a.m. wake-ups.
'Bedtime stacking' is gaining popularity among Gen-Z and essentially describes the practice of 'stacking' tasks to do before sleep from the comfort of your bed. These tasks could be finishing up on work, reading, snacking, making travel plans or just catching up on your favorite show.
However, psychologists and sleep doctors are warning against this sleep trend, which has garnered thousands of views on TikTok.
"Your brain associates your bed with doing everything except sleeping, which makes you more prone to have trouble falling or staying asleep," explains Dr Jade Wu, board-certified psychologist.
Below, we'll take a closer look at what bedtime stacking is, and how to do it without sacrificing your sleep.
What is bedtime stacking?
"Bedtime stacking is when people make a 'command center,' in bed — where they get to bed earlier, but still have everything they might need to finish up for the rest of the day before sleep," explains Alex Dimitriu, MD, and double board-certified in Sleep Medicine and Psychiatry.
In simple terms, bedtiome stacking refers to the habit of multitasking in bed and is particularly popular among the Gen Z demographic. "It's a TikTok trend where people turn their beds into multifunctional, 'all-in-one' hubs for self-care, productivity and comfort before sleeping," says Dr. Wu.
One trending TikTok on the subject belongs to Sweden-based content creator Linnea Pham, whose post has garnered over 49,000 views and counting.
Inspired by the behavioural research method of habit stacking— an achievable way to form new habits by linking them to existing ones — the latest sleep trend aims to be the more intentional and productive alternative to 'bedrotting,' which sees people take to their beds for long stretches of time.
How bedtime stacking could be stopping you from sleeping
While creating a cozy command center from the comfort of your bed might sound like an attractive prospect, experts are warning that it could be wreaking havoc on your sleep quality.
From overstimulating your brain to losing your bed's association with sleep, these are the three most significant ways that the bedtime stacking habit could be ruining your sleep.
1. Delays your usual bedtime
Whether it's sending work emails, talking to a friend or making travel plans, using your bed as a base for anything other than sleeping means we lose its association with sleeping. That can make it harder for our brains to switch off and fall asleep.
Your brain associates your bed with doing everything except sleeping, which makes you more prone to have trouble falling or staying asleep
Dr Jade Wu, board-certified psychologist.
"Bedtime stacking runs the risk of getting too excited at a time when someone should be winding down," says Dimitriu, who is also the founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine. "Routines can run late, and the overstimulation can make it harder to shut it all down and fall asleep," says Dimitriu, who is also the founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine.
Furthermore, some bedtime stacking tasks flies in the face of one of the basic sleep hygiene rules recommended by scores of sleep experts: don't stare at screens away before bed. From the blue light supressing melatonin (the sleep-inducing hormone) to overstimulation, screen in bed make it harder to fall asleep.
2. Causes 3 a.m. wakeups
Stacking up productivity-based tasks and working through them keeps your brain switched on, suppressing your body's natural urge to sleep and increasing levels of cortisol, the stress hormone.
Your body naturally releases cortisol from around 3-4 a.m. to help you feel alert upon waking. However, when your baseline level of cortisol is already higher, this natural surge in cortisol can be enough to wake you up, explain experts.
"As cortisol is a wake-promoting hormone, when we are feeling stressed, and our bodies are producing too much of it, it will keep us awake," said Hannah Shore, Head of Sleep Science at Mattress Online, in a previous conversation with us.
Waking up at 3 a.m. with feeling of stress and anxiety can make it difficult to fall back to sleep. This interrupted rest can lead to feeling exhausted and burnt out come morning.
3. Worsens insomnia
Those prone to insomnia run the risk of making it worse by bedtime stacking, warn experts. "Bedtime stacking generally goes against sleep hygiene rules for someone who has insomnia or struggles with anxiety," says Doriel Jacov, a New York-based psychotherapist.
Those with insomnia are already vulnerable to having overly active minds at night, and bedtime stacking, which involves multitasking and increased technology use, often exacerbates that, he explains.
"When people regularly watch shows, scroll, eat, or work in bed, the brain can begin to associate the bed with alertness rather than rest," says Dr Daniella Marchetti, PhD, DBSM, clinical psychologist specializing in behavioural sleep medicine. "This is one of the cardinal rules of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) that I strongly do not recommend breaking."
What's more? Scientific evidence suggests that insomnia levels increase by 59% per every hour of screen time before bed.
"It turns what would have been a wind-down routine into another hour of cognitive stimulation," adds Jacov. This, in turn, further delays sleep latency — the time taken to fall asleep.
How to bedtime stack without it stealing your sleep
The verdict? "It's a neat fad, and got a lot of attention for being against the grain of everything we have heard before," says Dimitriu.
Both bedrotting and bedtime stacking, according to Dr Marchetti, reflect a cultural moment in which people are exhausted and are trying to decompress.
The difference is that bedtime stacking frames it as productivity or self-care, but physiologically, the body still experiences it as extended wakefulness in bed
Dr Daniella Marchetti, clinical psychologist specializing in behavioural sleep medicine
"The difference is that bedtime stacking frames it as productivity or self-care, but physiologically, the body still experiences it as extended wakefulness in bed. It’s a false friend," she says.
We can't deny that curling up in bed with a book and a sheet mask on still sounds divine, and maybe bedtime stacking just has to be that— sans all the danger to sleep. So here are three ground rules to lay down if you want to give it a try:
Choose low-stimulation activities
Bedtime stacking can help people who overworked and overwhelmed to return to some semblance of a bedtime ritual. The key is to choose activities that calm down your nervous system. This can include reading, journaling, light stretching, or playing with your pet.
However, introducing technology is where bedtime stacking can become problematic. "Activities like sending emails, watching TV (especially something intense), or scrolling social media are more likely to activate your nervous system," says Jacov.
Set a time limit
"People who already sleep well may not notice much impact if their bedtime routine is brief and calming. But this habit could set them up for trouble later on," warns Dr. Marchetti.
The solution would be to create a short wind-down routine before getting into bed. If you are going to bedtime stack, set a predetermined limit for how long you'll do so.
"Choose a time when you want to focus on sleep alone and stick to it. This helps stop bedtime activities from keeping you up an extra hour," adds Jacov.
Maintain the bed-sleep association
As we've mentioned above, ruining the bed-sleep association is one of the biggest side effects of indulging in bedtime stacking.
"Pay attention to how bedtime stacking affects your sleep patterns," warns says Jacov. "If you start to notice that it is worsening your ability to fall or stay asleep, that's a sign to either stop or switch to a different activity."
Other than setting a time limit, it's also important not to make it a habit. Dr Wu suggests treating yourself to a bedtime stacking night occasionally, but certainly not every day.
