Noctohabitology (SLEEP PROCRASTINATION) with Vanessa “Nessy” Hill

August 12, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

Noctohabitology: The Science of Sleep Procrastination

Dr. Vanessa "Nessy" Hill, a behavioral psychologist who earned her PhD studying bedtime procrastination, has a confession: she still loves falling asleep on the couch. "I'm a sleep scientist, a lot of people think that I must have this perfect evening routine," she says. "I still love staying up late from time to time." This honesty runs through the entire conversation—sleep procrastination isn't a simple failure of willpower, but a complex tug-of-war between our psychological needs and our biology.

What Sleep Procrastination Actually Is

Bedtime procrastination didn't appear in scientific literature until 2014, and it exploded as a topic during the pandemic. Dr. Hill's research, including interview-based studies and ecological momentary assessments where participants reported their behavior via text throughout the day, revealed something surprising: most people who say they procrastinate bedtime are actually delaying sleep by 30 minutes or less. A smaller cluster delays by about 60 minutes, and extreme outliers push it to two or three hours.

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What you'll learn

1 (03:45) **What is Noctohabitology?** - Alie defines the episode's portmanteau and introduces sleep scientist Dr. Vanessa "Nessy" Hill.
2 (05:14) **Dr. Hill's Origin Story: From YouTuber to Sleep Researcher** - Nessy explains how moving to NYC and becoming a creative led her to study her own terrible sleep habits.
3 (09:49) **How Much Sleep Do You Actually Need?** - The episode clarifies the recommended sleep duration and debunks the "eight hours" myth.
4 (11:51) **ADHD, Time Perception, and Sleep Procrastination** - The strong link between ADHD and sleep disruption is explained, along with a key mechanism.
5 (14:14) **The Root Causes of Sleep Procrastination** - Dr. Hill breaks down the internal and external factors that make people put off going to bed.
6 (20:47) **Are Humans Meant to Sleep with the Sun?** - Evidence from "camping studies" shows what happens when we remove technology and electric light.
7 (23:04) **"Night Guy" vs. "Morning Guy"** - A classic Seinfeld clip from 1993 proves that bedtime procrastination is not a new problem caused by smartphones.

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Show Notes

Late night scrolling. Couchlock. Habitual insomnia. You want to sleep — so why won’t you turn off the light, dumplin’? We’ve got someone for that: sleep scientist, globally known PBS correspondent, host of the series Braincraft, and Noctohabitologist, Dr. Vanessa “Nessy” Hill. So let’s chat about what amount of sleep is “normal,” if farmers had two sleeps, electricity, blue blockers, “me time,” proof that Dolly Parton is an alien from an angel planet, the populations most prone to sleep procrastination, which of 93 scientifically-proven habit-changers are the easiest to implement, and how this expert and I have both personally battled the agony between wanting to rest but avoiding it. Come. Gather. Get mad. Be healed.

Visit Dr. Hill’s website and follow her on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and Substack

A donation went to Project Sleep