Bed rotting: is a day in bed rest, or a rut?

Some days, the doona wins. This week, social media filled up with tired people posting cosy bed selfies with captions like "I don't think I'm getting out of bed today", and one widely shared post summed up the mood: there's a sleep in me that needs to be slept, but every time I sleep, I don't sleep that sleep.

There's a name for spending the day in bed on purpose: bed rotting. It means lying in bed for hours, awake, scrolling, watching shows or snacking, as a break from everything else. It's often shared as self-care, and sometimes that is exactly what it is. But hours in bed when you aren't sleeping can work against the thing you probably need most, which is a good night's sleep.

Here is what's behind the trend, when a slow day helps, when it backfires, and how the Thrive Health Band shows your own pattern of rest, sleep and energy.

Why bed rotting is having a moment

The posts this week weren't really about laziness. They were about feeling drained after busy weeks, broken sleep and long to-do lists, and wanting permission to stop. That part is healthy. Rest matters, and it doesn't always have to be sleep.

Sleep experts in Australia have a more nuanced take on where you rest. Associate Professor Jessica Paterson, a psychologist and sleep researcher at Flinders University, told The New Daily in 2023 that bed rotting is fine in moderation, but suggests doing it on the couch instead.

When a slow day helps

A lazy day can be just what you need after a big week, a late night, travel, a heavy training block or getting over a cold. Lying around, reading, watching a series or catching up with friends gives your mind and body a break. The Sleep Health Foundation puts it simply: rest is good, and it does not have to be sleep.

The trouble starts when a slow day turns into a slow week, or when the bed becomes your living room.

Why staying in bed can backfire on sleep

Your brain learns that bed means awake. The more time you spend in bed not sleeping, the more your brain links the bed with being awake, which can make it harder to fall asleep there at night. The Sleep Health Foundation suggests keeping the bed for sleep and intimacy, and notes that poor sleepers often spend too long in bed.
You miss daylight. Light earlier in the day helps set your body clock, so you feel sleepy at the right time. A day behind closed curtains can leave you wide awake at bedtime. Our article on a morning sunlight walk explains why.
Dozing uses up sleep pressure. Drifting off in the afternoon or evening can make it harder to sleep at night. Short, early naps are a different story; see what your naps and nights might be telling you.
It can become a way to avoid things. Paterson points out that if staying in bed is a way of dodging something hard, it can have knock-on effects. It helps to notice why you're doing it.

How to rest well without getting stuck

Move it to the couch. Same shows, same snacks, same blanket. Your bed stays linked with sleep.
Open the curtains or step outside. A few minutes of morning light, even on a lazy day, helps your body clock.
Keep your wake-up time roughly steady. A big lie-in can push your bedtime later and make Monday harder.
Keep naps short and early. Around 30 minutes, and not in the evening.
Add one small thing you value. A call with a friend, a short walk, a chapter of a book. Rest feels better with a little connection or movement in it.
Ask yourself why. Tired, or avoiding something? Both are human. Knowing which helps you decide what tomorrow needs.

How Thrive shows whether rest is helping

The Band has no screen, so there is nothing buzzing at you on a slow day. Wear it day and night, and the Thrive by Optihealth app brings your rest, sleep and energy together.

Recovery insights. After a big week or a hard session, Thrive gives an estimate of how long until you're back to your usual, such as "you need 5 hours rest". It helps you see when rest is really needed, and when you're ready to get moving again.
QQRT sleep scores. Thrive scores each night on Quantity, Quality, Regularity and Timing, so you can see whether a long lie-in shifts your Timing or Regularity. Tonight's focus suggests three simple actions for the night ahead.
Today's Vitality. Sleep & Recovery, Heart & Nervous System, Today's Load and Mind & Mood come together in one daily view, with a week trend.
Check-ins. Log mood, stress and energy, and tag your day with options such as Nap, Sedentary day or Walking. You can add your own factor, like "lazy day", so it shows up in your patterns.
Experiments. Try a two-week experiment, such as getting up at the same time every day, and compare how your sleep and energy respond.
Ask Thrive. Try "How did my sleep look after days I mostly rested?" or "Did my energy check-ins change in weeks I got outside in the morning?"

If you'd like someone in your corner, Thrive Loops lets you share selected information with a participating trainer, health professional or someone you trust. You decide what to share and with whom, and you can change or revoke access at any time.

Thrive also learns what is usual for you across nine areas of your health, from what the Band measures and what you log, and keeps track right across your health, including heart, temperature, stress and mood, meals and Food Fit, blood tests, medications and supplements and your medical history.

When to talk to your GP

If you're often too tired to get out of bed, rest doesn't seem to help after a couple of weeks, or low mood, loss of interest or worry sits under the urge to hide away, talk with your GP. Thrive isn't a diagnosis, but Ask Thrive can help you get ready by lining up a few weeks of your sleep, energy and mood check-ins, so you can describe what's been happening. Here is how to use Ask Thrive before a GP appointment. If you'd like to talk to someone now, Beyond Blue is available on 1300 22 4636.

Before you buy

You'll need a compatible iPhone or Android phone, because the Thrive app is on the Apple App Store and Google Play, in Australia and eight other countries. The app stores are only for downloading the app, though; they aren't where you buy the Band or a Plan. You can buy at thrivehealthband.com, or at a participating World Gym Australia location or health and wellness clinic.

The Thrive Health Band is A$660 for the first year under the launch offer. That includes the Band, which is yours to keep, and 12 months of the Thrive by Optihealth app, My Health on the web, Health Fingerprint, Ask Thrive, Thrive Loops and your data, paid once upfront. Prices are in AUD and include GST. Free Australia-wide shipping during the launch offer (usually A$14.99).

Nothing renews automatically. After your first year, you can get a new band plus 12 more months for A$660, or keep your band and renew the Thrive Connected Plan for A$240 a year, or A$29 a month with no lock-in.

You're also covered by a 12-month Thrive Care Warranty, and consumer guarantees under Australian Consumer Law always apply. See Returns if something is wrong with your purchase.

Common questions

What is bed rotting?

It's spending a long stretch of the day in bed, awake, scrolling, watching shows or snacking, as a break. The name is new; the habit isn't.

Is bed rotting bad for you?

An occasional slow day is fine. Spending hours awake in bed often can make it harder to sleep there at night, so try resting on the couch and getting some daylight.

Can Thrive tell me when I need rest?

Thrive gives recovery insights, including an estimate of how long until you're back to your usual, alongside your sleep scores, Today's Vitality and check-ins.

For more answers, see Questions.