‘Bed Rotting’ and ‘Hurkle Durkle’: Can You Stay In Bed Too Long?

When the house is freezing and it’s still dark outside, it feels reasonable, even noble, to relish extra minutes in bed.

On TikTok, some celebrate this cozy morning loafing as “hurkle-durkling,” referencing an old Scottish phrase for spending idle time awake in bed. Whether you want to huddle under the blankets and hurkle-durkle — or, like some TikTok users, you just seem to enjoy gleefully saying the phrase — the trend is a reminder that it’s OK to reclaim a bit of leisure time.

Why it feels so good to lean into lounging

Staying in bed after you wake up is appealing because we crave agency, said Eleanor McGlinchey, a sleep psychologist at Manhattan Therapy Collective and associate professor of psychology at Fairleigh Dickinson University. Much like “revenge bedtime procrastination” — the act of staying up too long to make up for the hours you spent working or caring for others during the day — lolling about in the morning is front-loading that “me” time before responsibilities invade. Any parent can attest to how savagely the veil between sleep and packing lunches is torn. Who wouldn’t prefer a cup of coffee and a fluffy pillow to answering “Have you seen my soccer uniform?”

(Of course, the people who likely most need a hurkle-durkle can least afford to indulge.)

For those who do take part, it’s important to set limits. Quality time for yourself can slip into something more detrimental — such as a mindless hour or even longer on social media (perhaps looking for more Scottish inspiration to stay in bed).

“For some people, picking up their phones and scrolling email or turning on the news while in bed makes them more stressed,” Dr. McGlinchey said. “So now you’ve lazed around in bed and feel worse.”

So plan ahead for how you want to spend your free minutes in bed.

“I tell people to do whatever they are going to do on purpose,” Dr. McGlinchey said. “Don’t be at the mercy of notifications that come in overnight. Be intentional with the time.” If answering a few urgent emails from bed lets you relax a bit without worrying about diving right into work, for example, it’s a net positive.

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