Procrastination is linked with insomnia symptoms: The moderating role of morningness-eveningness

Procrastination may negatively impact professional advancement and general well-being, yet to our knowledge, the relationship with sleep quality has not been investigated. Poor sleep impacts physical and emotional health, underscoring the importance of addressing this potential outcome. It was hypothesized that procrastination will be associated with subjective sleep difficulties, an association mediated by ruminative cognitions. 598 respondents (154 men: Mage = 25.6 ± 3.8; 444 women Mage = 24.8 ± 3.3) completed online questionnaires regarding procrastination, sleep disturbances, rumination, emotional state, and chronotype. A structural equation model approach was used for model testing. Results demonstrated that procrastination positively correlated with sleep disturbance, a link moderated by chronotype, such that self-identified Morning Types reported lower procrastination, fewer sleep disturbances, and the two measures did not correlate. Among Intermediate and Evening Types the relationship between procrastination and sleep was mediated by rumination and negative mood. These findings suggest that addressing the impact on sleep should be one of the targets of interventions for treating procrastination.