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Is procrastination bad for your health?

Short answer: It appears to be linked with worse health. In a study of 3,525 Swedish university students, those who procrastinated more had more symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress nine months later, plus poorer sleep, less physical activity, more loneliness and more money worries. An earlier study found procrastinating students were sicker over a semester as a whole.[1][2]

By Seth Richardson, Founder of ProcrastiGauge · Last reviewed 24 October 2026 · Based on published research (sources below)

Key facts

  • Swedish cohort: 3,525 students, follow-up after 9 months
  • Linked with: depression, anxiety and stress symptoms, poorer sleep, inactivity, loneliness
  • Semester study: less stress early in term, more stress and illness late in term

The details

The Swedish study (published in JAMA Network Open in 2023) followed students over a year, which makes it stronger than a one-time survey. Most of the associations it found were small, but they covered mental health, lifestyle and social life.

The 1997 semester study found an interesting pattern: procrastinators felt less stressed early in the term, but more stressed and more often ill near the end, and were sicker overall. Delaying buys short-term relief at a long-term cost.

Reducing procrastination is therefore not only about productivity. Keeping an eye on sleep and stress along with your work helps, which is why ProcrastiGauge's daily score includes wellbeing alongside your tasks.

Limits of the evidence. These are observational studies with self-reported health, so they cannot prove that procrastination causes the health problems; poor health can also make people procrastinate more.
How ProcrastiGauge helps. ProcrastiGauge's daily score includes wellbeing questions, such as whether you slept enough, so you can see how your habits and your health move together. Try ProcrastiGauge free for 7 days.

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Related questions

Sources

  1. Johansson, F., Rozental, A., Edlund, K., Côté, P., Sundberg, T., Onell, C., Rudman, A., & Skillgate, E. (2023). Associations between procrastination and subsequent health outcomes among university students in Sweden. JAMA Network Open, 6(1), e2249346. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.49346Cohort study of 3,525 students from 8 Swedish universities, followed up 9 months later.
  2. Tice, D. M., & Baumeister, R. F. (1997). Longitudinal study of procrastination, performance, stress, and health: The costs and benefits of dawdling. Psychological Science, 8(6), 454-458. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.1997.tb00460.xTwo longitudinal studies of university students over a semester.