I don’t know if it’s because I’m getting older – or maybe internet trends really are getting worse – but it feels like I haven’t enjoyed a TikTok fad for a while now.
That’s until I heard about bed rotting, the Gen Z trend that involves, well... rotting in bed.
There seems to be no concrete rules for bed rotting. Some bed rot in a full face of makeup. Some bed rot to avoid responsibility. Some simply do it for the love of the game.
But all of them adhere to the basic rules of the craft: go to bed, stay there, and “rot” until you feel suitably rested.
Behold a master at work:
@rat...meat the back pain is unmatched😍😍 #living#bedtimeroutine#houstonimdeceased#bootslay#mentolillness#xyzcba#fypシ
♬ MY BACK - prœ gæmër
So... why is this even a thing?
Bed rotting might seem like a waste of time, and considering most of the people doing it are young (usually young women), it can be hard to feel like the practice is worthwhile.
But perhaps that’s the point. After all, the trend is going viral on TikTok – home of the exhausting-sounding Clean Girl routine, the endless pilates videos, the hyper-organised fridges, and even – yes, really – a recent-ish fixation with getting up at 5AM.
“Our existences are all about being streamlined, efficient and productive, and while that has its benefits, it can also feel stifling, leading to the kind of overwhelm that actually paralyses us from doing anything,” says Stylist.
So it’s no wonder TikTok users like this one started being upfront on the site. Bed-rotting is “not on (her) vision board, but if (she’s) honest, it’s what (she) craves!” she says.
“It isn’t about staying in bed instead of going to work. If anything, it’s the opposite of pulling a sickie; it’s about self-care and wellness,” says The Guardian. They refer to bed rotting as “quilt without the guilt.”
Sloths were always too cute to be considered a sin, anyway.
OK, but is there a limit?
I mean, it’s laying in bed doing nothing. Of course there is.
Not being able to get out of bed might for days sound familiar to some of you as a symptom of
depression.Psychiatrist Dr. Jessi Gold said in her TikTok that bed rotting can be a symptom of depression and anxiety, and challenges us to ask ourselves whether “the sleep is restorative or avoidant.”
She asks, “are you sleeping because you want to avoid being awake” due to stress, or “are you sleeping because you actually need it?“
She suggests reading a book, journalling, or running – “whatever works for you,” she says.
Which is technically sage advice, but this doesn’t seem to be anything posters don’t know already.
One TikTok user wrote the caption ”‘it’s called depression’ ya I’m aware babes xx” on her bed-rotting video. Another says that the occasional seven-hour bed rot just helps her when she’s having a bad day.
I reckon it’s like any other trend – there’s a healthy and an unhealthy way to engage with skincare fads, popular workouts, food crazes, journalling, and even meditation.
Do, of course, see your doctor if your mental health is affecting your ability to live your life well.
But otherwise, as the Evening Standard says: “there are Boomer bed rotters too and they spent their twenties having a lovely time with their university grants and buying enormous period homes in London, with tiny mortgages, even if they didn’t work in finance.
“Today’s twenty-somethings, however, are staring down the barrel of never being able to own a home as well as navigating a cost of living crisis and an epidemic of poor mental health: let them take a break away from the daily grind however they please.”
With that, I’m going back to bed.
Help and support:
- Mind, open Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm on 0300 123 3393.
- Samaritans offers a listening service which is open 24 hours a day, on 116 123 (UK and ROI - this number is FREE to call and will not appear on your phone bill).
- CALM (the Campaign Against Living Miserably) offer a helpline open 5pm-midnight, 365 days a year, on 0800 58 58 58, and a webchat service.
- The Mix is a free support service for people under 25. Call 0808 808 4994 or email help@themix.org.uk
- Rethink Mental Illness offers practical help through its advice line which can be reached on 0808 801 0525 (Monday to Friday 10am-4pm). More info can be found on rethink.org.