On TikTok, videos show young adults spending the day in bed, phone in hand and series started. This ritual has a name: bedrotting, literally “rotting in bed”, presented as a new well-being routine. Between self-care and a sign of discomfort, the practice raises questions.
Concretely, it involves voluntarily staying in bed, sometimes from morning to evening, to rest, scroll and “do nothing” without feeling guilty. Some see it as a way to recover after a busy week, others a signal of burn-out or depression.
Bedrotting: between mental rest and risks for the body
Occasional bedrotting often provides a feeling of mental break, sleep recovery and relaxation. But sleep specialists point out that long naps in bed can disrupt the day-night biological clock.
When inactivity becomes chronic, muscles and bones suffer, and a sedentary lifestyle increases the risk of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. The World Health Organization (WHO) even ranks lack of movement among the leading causes of premature mortality, and for many doctors, a bed that has become a permanent refuge can reflect depression, anxiety or loss of self-confidence.
Generation Z, screens in bed and drop in libido
Recent data shows that about 19% of young adults have not had sex in the past year. More than one in four (28%) say they feel little sexual desire, and other factors limit the frequency of intercourse: premature ejaculation (17%), performance anxiety (16%) or difficulty reaching orgasm (10%).
For Laura Van der Hoeden, clinical psychologist and sexologist, these figures fit into a broader context. , explains Laura Van der Hoeden to the media Moustique. She also notes that the bed and screens become a refuge: . .
Bedrotting, dopamine and new ways to protect yourself
For Laura Van der Hoeden, the time spent in bed, smartphone in hand, also serves to avoid intimate moments experienced as painful. She describes the appeal of split screens: . The promise of immediate dopamine then competes with slower sexuality.
She also points out the lack of time and fatigue: explains Laura Van der Hoeden. . For part of Generation Z, staying in bed then becomes a way of self-preservation, provided that it does not permanently replace social and intimate ties.
What is bedrotting?
Stay in bed for a long time.
Is it healthy?
Only if he remains punctual.
When to ask for help?
If getting out of bed becomes difficult.
