It sounds like a confession. Most people talk about sleep like it’s a luxury or a long-lost friend they’re desperate to reunite with on Friday night. But for a specific slice of the population, the phrase i don't like to sleep isn't a joke—it’s a lived reality. They aren't necessarily "bad" at sleeping. They just genuinely resent the process.
Sleep feels like a tax on being alive.
Think about the math. If you live to be 90, you’ve spent 30 years unconscious. That is a staggering amount of time to miss out on movies, conversations, work, or just the quiet hum of a house at 2:00 AM. For those who feel this way, the bedroom isn't a sanctuary; it’s a waiting room where you sit in the dark until the world starts again.
The Psychology of Sleep Aversion
There’s a massive difference between insomnia and just plain hating the act of sleeping. Insomniacs want to drift off but can’t. People who feel i don't like to sleep often have what psychologists call "Bedtime Procrastination" or, more accurately, "Revenge Bedtime Procrastination." This term gained traction during the pandemic, describing people who stay up late because they feel they have no control over their daytime hours.
Dr. Terry Cralle, a certified clinical sleep educator, often notes that our relationship with sleep is deeply psychological. If you view sleep as a "disruption" to your productivity or your joy, you’re going to resist it. It’s a transition. And transitions are hard. Moving from a high-state of engagement—scrolling, gaming, or working—to a state of "nothingness" feels like a loss.
Some people also suffer from somniphobia. This is an actual clinical fear of falling asleep. It isn't just a preference; it’s an anxiety response. They might worry about what happens when they lose control, or they might have recurring nightmares that make the pillow feel like a battlefield. For others, it’s just the "quiet." When the lights go out, the internal monologue turns up the volume. If you don't like your thoughts, you won't like the environment that forces you to listen to them.
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Why Biology Sometimes Backs You Up
Not everyone is built for the 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM grind. Your chronotype—your internal biological clock—is largely genetic. If you find yourself saying i don't like to sleep at midnight, it might be because your body is actually peaking in alertness.
Research published in Nature Communications has identified hundreds of genetic loci linked to being a "morning person" or a "night owl." If you are a natural "Extreme Night Owl," trying to sleep at a "normal" hour feels like trying to force a square peg into a round hole. It’s frustrating. It feels like a waste of time because your brain is firing on all cylinders while the rest of the world is snoring.
Then there’s the "Sleepless Elite." It sounds like a myth, but it’s real. A very small percentage of the population has a mutation in the DEC2 gene. These people can function perfectly on four or five hours of sleep without the cognitive decline the rest of us face. For them, "I don't like to sleep" is a practical stance. Why spend eight hours doing something you can finish in four? However, most people who think they are in this group are actually just chronically sleep-deprived and have forgotten what it feels like to be fully awake.
The Physical Cost of Resentment
You can hate sleep all you want, but your brain doesn't care about your opinions. It cares about the glymphatic system.
During sleep, your brain literally flushes out waste. Think of it like a dishwasher for your neurons. Research from the University of Rochester Medical Center found that this system is ten times more active during sleep than during wakefulness. It clears out beta-amyloid, a protein associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
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If you're skipping sleep because you find it boring or a waste of time, you’re essentially letting "trash" build up in your head.
- Heart Health: Chronic lack of sleep is linked to hypertension.
- Glucose Metabolism: Your body’s ability to process sugar drops, increasing the risk of Type 2 diabetes.
- Immune Function: Cytokines, proteins that fight infection, are produced and released while you sleep.
It’s a tough pill to swallow. You want more life, so you sleep less. But by sleeping less, you might be shortening the very life you're trying to experience.
Practical Shifts for the Sleep-Hater
If you’ve reached the point where you admit i don't like to sleep, the goal isn't to suddenly "love" it. That’s unrealistic. The goal is to make it a neutral, efficient part of your day so you can get back to the things you actually value.
First, stop trying to sleep "early." If you aren't tired, staring at the ceiling will only increase your resentment. Use a "buffer hour." This isn't for chores. It’s for low-stimulation activities that bridge the gap between "alive and doing things" and "unconscious."
Second, change the sensory experience. If you hate the "nothingness" of sleep, fill it. High-quality brown noise or "pink noise" can provide a textural background that makes the silence less oppressive. Some people find that weighted blankets provide a sense of "grounding" that makes the transition into sleep feel less like a loss of control and more like a physical embrace.
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Third, look at your light. We live in a world of blue light. It’s in your phone, your TV, and your LED bulbs. This light suppresses melatonin, the hormone that tells your brain it’s time to wind down. If you stay up because you "don't feel tired," it might be because your phone is lying to your brain about what time it is.
The Efficiency Argument
For the high-achievers who say i don't like to sleep because they have "too much to do," consider the law of diminishing returns.
After 17 to 19 hours without sleep, your cognitive performance is equivalent to having a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.05%. After 24 hours, it’s equivalent to 0.10%—well over the legal driving limit in most places. You aren't being productive; you’re being "busy" while functionally drunk.
A study from the American College of Physicians suggests that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) is incredibly effective even for those who just have a poor relationship with sleep. It helps reframe the "waste of time" mindset into a "recovery for performance" mindset.
Actionable Next Steps
- Track the "Why": For three days, write down exactly what you're doing when you're avoiding sleep. Is it meaningful work, or is it mindless scrolling? Usually, it's the latter.
- Audit Your Chronotype: Take the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ) to see if your biological clock is actually the problem. You might just need a later schedule, not less sleep.
- The 20-Minute Rule: If you’re in bed and hating it for more than 20 minutes, get out. Go to another room. Do something boring in dim light. Do not associate your bed with the feeling of being annoyed.
- Shift the Narrative: Stop saying "I have to go to sleep." Start saying "I am finishing today." It sounds small, but it changes sleep from a chore into a completion of a goal.
- Consult a Professional: If your aversion to sleep is rooted in fear, nightmares, or physical discomfort, see a sleep specialist. There are underlying conditions like Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) or sleep apnea that can make the experience of trying to sleep genuinely unpleasant.
Understanding that sleep is a biological necessity rather than a lifestyle choice is the first step toward a healthier balance. You don't have to love it. You just have to do it.