{"id":18869,"date":"2021-04-20T11:28:14","date_gmt":"2021-04-20T03:28:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/?p=18869"},"modified":"2021-05-27T11:17:40","modified_gmt":"2021-05-27T03:17:40","slug":"night-owls-in-universities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/2021\/04\/night-owls-in-universities\/","title":{"rendered":"Night Owls in Universities"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Glacier He<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many university students stay up for leisure to make up for their \u201clost daytime\u201d. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Going to bed after 3 a.m. every Saturday is common for Cao Yibo. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Staying up late, playing video games, watching videos or just swiping his smartphone aimlessly are the getaways for the Year Two student majoring in business administration at Guangxi University. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of his classmates in his dormitory do the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur class schedule is tight on weekdays. So, after a long and tiring week, we need a break during weekends,\u201d the 19-year-old student says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRevenge bedtime procrastination is making up for my busy daytime. I can only have some \u2018me time\u2019 during late night hours,\u201d Cao adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Revenge bedtime procrastination is making up for my busy daytime. I can only have some \u2018me time\u2019 during late night hours.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Make Up For the Mentality<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRevenge bedtime procrastination\u201d refers to a phenomenon that people who have to study or work during daytime and stay up intentionally to enjoy some freedom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI started staying up late when I was in middle school. It was a boarding school and I could not surf online at school. So, whenever I had holiday, I stayed up late to check all the news and entertainment shows I missed during school days,\u201d Cao says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is often quiet at night. No one would bother me. I just think that I must have some \u2018me time\u2019 and make good use of it,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cao thinks this habit brings him more good than harm. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI may have black rims around my eyes and hair loss, but I think it is worthwhile. It makes me feel relaxed, peaceful and relieved. I can think many things about myself or just order a food delivery to please myself,\u201d Cao says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Cao stays up in his dormitory, swiping his phone. (Photo courtesy of Cao Yibo)
 <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The pandemic also has had impacts on university students\u2019 sleeping time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chinese Sleep Research Society published a white paper (2020\u5168\u6c11\u5b85\u5bb6\u671f\u9593\u4e2d\u570b\u5c45\u6c11\u7761\u7720\u767d\u76ae\u66f8<\/a><\/em>\uff09on the sleeping habits of Chinese residents during the lockdown period on March 14, 2020. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The study was based on data from 2,004 participants who responded to a sleep questionnaire between January 1, 2020 and February 29, 2020. And Chinese Sleep Research Society found that people\u2019s sleeping time was delayed by two to three hours during the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have to stay at home most of the time and have nothing to do during the pandemic. That makes me feel anxious,\u201d Cao says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBecause of my anxiety, I go to bed much later even though I am not as busy as at school,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBecause of my anxiety, I go to bed much later even though I am not as busy as at school.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

A Common Behaviour<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cao is not alone. This kind of work and sleep pattern is common among young people in China now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Huami Corporation, a technology company that provides health services, released a report<\/a> based on sleep health data on Xiaomi Sports App and more than 100,000 online questionnaires in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report found that among Chinese people who stay up, 43 per cent were born in the 1990s and 27 per cent were born in the 2000s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Liu Ziqi, a student majoring in financial technology at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, is also one of those who stays up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSometimes I work on my assignments till midnight. Then I sit on my bed starting to swipe my phone. I know I do not really have anything important to do. But I just do not want to sleep,\u201d the 20-year-old says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I know I do not really have anything important to do. But I just do not want to sleep.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Liu says she stays up late because she is busy during daytime and she cannot have a good rest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I try to relax during daytime, I do not feel at ease because I still have other things to do. But at night I just feel time is unlimited and I have more freedom,\u201d Liu explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But going to bed late is not always enjoyable for Liu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cActually, I do not feel good after staying up late. I feel sleepy and tired the next day. Things I do at night are boring. But I just do not want to close my eyes,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The university student also feels anxious and guilty when she stays up late.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI find it difficult to get up the next day, and feel super uncomfortable both mentally and physically,\u201d Liu says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have tried to change my lifestyle and wish to go to bed earlier but it is so hard to control myself,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Students who go to bed late tend to feel sleepy during daytime.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Find A Way Out<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A mental health teacher at Beijing Polytechnic (Vocational College for Electronic Science & Technology), Zhu Xiantao, thinks university students stay up because they are anxious about their study and future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut going to bed late may lead to a vicious cycle. It is not a useful way to handle anxiety. They may feel more anxious and stay up even longer in the long run,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Going to bed late may lead to a vicious cycle. It is not a useful way to handle anxiety. They may feel more anxious and stay up even longer in the long run.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Zhu thinks one important way to solve the sleeping problem is to identify reasons behind their anxiety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She suggests that students can talk with their peers or seek help from professionals such as psychologists to know why they feel anxious and stay up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe behaviour of revenge bedtime procrastination is also influenced by people around you. Maybe you and your friends can make a promise and supervise each other to form a habit of going to bed early,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Edited by Alice Wang <\/em>
Sub-edited by Patricia Ricafort<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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