Who says we need to rush out of bed every morning?
Your alarm clock goes off. You hit "snooze," roll over, and pull the covers up over your shoulders. When the alarm goes off again, you turn it off, but you don't get up. The day awaits, but your bed is warm and cozy, and the idea of getting out of it appeals to exactly zero of your senses. So you linger in bed a little longer, relishing a few more minutes of peaceful rest.
If this scene sounds familiar, you are already familiar with "hurkle-durkle," even though you may not have ever heard the term. Hurkle-durkling simply means to stay in bed long past the time when you “should” already be up. It’s a Scottish term dating back to the 1800s, originally having more to do with sitting in a crouching position either for warmth or secrecy, but it eventually took on a more relaxed and positive connotation.
@kirakosarin hurkle-durkle, u deserve it <3
How did hurkle-durkle make its way to the U.S.?
It’s a word that only the biggest etymology enthusiast would know had it not been plucked from obscurity thanks to TikTok. The hurkle-durkling trend seems to have started with actress Kira Kosarin when she shared it as her “word of the day.” “I do be hurkling," she joked, "and I do be durkling and once I’ve hurkled my last durkle in a given morning I will get up, but I’m a big fan of a hurkle-durkle."
Kosarin’s clip prompted others to share videos of themselves enjoying a good hurkle-durkling, blissfully wrapped in their sheets, basking in the sunlight, leisurely reading, etc. One woman hailing from Scotland even joked, “[The Scottish] knew it was so critical to well-being they made a whole term about it. So, no, I’m not being lazy or wasting my life. I’m practicing an ancestral right of passage. I’m connecting with my culture and heritage.”
It sounds awesome, refreshing, and freeing...but at this point, you might be thinking, Wait, isn’t this just bed-rotting?
Hurkle-durkling is different than bed-rotting.Photo credit: Canva
Is hurkle-durkling just another word for bed-rotting?
Bed-rotting, another TikTok trend about lying in bed, and hurkle-durkling are similar, but have very different contexts. Bed-rotting has more to do with symptoms of burnout and fatigue, whereas hurkle-durkling is a bit more hygge, if you will. It’s seen as a pleasurable activity meant to promote rest for overall well-being. Plus, a hurkle-durkle has an end in sight, whereas bed-rotting can take up an entire weekend, or longer.
No matter how silly "hurkle-durkle" sounds, it could be seriously good for us. A 2017 study found that sleeping in, even a couple of days a week, reduced the chances of a heart attack or stroke by 63%, especially for folks who get less than six hours of sleep through the rest of the week (so, everyone, basically). Not only that, but getting those few extra minutes of shut-eye from hitting the snooze can help increase alertness and boost our mood.
Sleeping in occasionally can have some health benefits. Photo credit: Canva
How often should you hurkle-durkle?
Really, as with any self-care practice, balance is key. Experts warn against staying in bed as an everyday practice or to avoid responsibilities and uncomfortable feelings, especially as too much inactivity can worsen feelings of depression. In some cases, sleeping in can also be dangerous to your health because many people tend to sleep in or oversleep as a way to "catch up" on the sleep they may have missed throughout the week. Experts suggest adults get seven to nine hours of sleep per night. Failing to do so can accumulate over time and lead to sleep debt, which is hard to escape and can increase the risk of health issues like obesity, heart disease, and more. In short, sleeping in on weekends is okay when done mindfully and moderately; in this context, it can actually be the rejuvenation we long for and that too many of us don’t grant ourselves.
In fact, Kristin Wilson, a licensed professional counselor and chief experience officer, told Yahoo Life that perhaps so many people are leaning into silly, catchy terms like "hurkle-durkle" because they make rest and self-care (activities many Americans "are hesitant to celebrate and fully embrace”) more accessible. Popular accounts like The Nap Ministry and Self Care is for Everyone on Instagram prove that social media can play a major role in making self-care accessible and acceptable, with each account sporting 556 thousand and one million followers, respectively.
"Sometimes our bodies just need a break, and we don’t want to feel guilty about taking time to rest," Wilson explained. "Giving this behavior a clever social media name can make it feel more socially acceptable and when it trends and becomes popular, it normalizes the need for relaxation within the community of followers."
So with that, show yourself some love with a little hurkle-durkle. It’s fun to say, and oh so important to do.
This article originally appeared two years ago. It has been updated.