Background Sleep quality is related to physical and mental health. Though bedtime procrastination has been identified as a potentially key source of poor sleep quality, related research is scarce. The goal of our study was to determine bedtime procrastination among nursing students and identify its influencing factors. Methods This cross-sectional study comprised 1827 junior college nursing students. The data were collected from November to December 2021 using a mobile app-based survey. We evaluated demographic factors, Big Five personality traits, self-regulatory fatigue, future time perspective, and problematic mobile phone use. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to identify independent characteristics that influence bedtime procrastination among junior college nursing students. Results The mean bedtime procrastination score in junior college nursing students was 25.11 ± 6.88. Family monthly income of 3000–6000 RMB (β = 0.740; p = 0.015), as well as that of > 6000 RMB (β = 1.708; p = 0.001), and an extroverted personality (β = 0.225; p = 0.001), self-regulatory fatigue (β = 0.135; p < 0.001), and problematic mobile phone use (β = 0.078; p < 0.001) had significant positive effects on bedtime procrastination. Conscientious personality (β = − 0.284; p = 0.003), neurotic personality (β = − 0.203; p = 0.031), and future time perspective (β = − 0.141; p < 0.001) had significant negative effects on bedtime procrastination. Conclusion The nursing students who participated in this study had moderate levels of bedtime procrastination. Bedtime procrastination was predicted by higher monthly household income; personality traits of extroversion, conscientiousness, and neuroticism; self-regulatory fatigue; future time perspective; and problematic mobile phone use. Practical implications We recommend that effective measures are needed to help alleviate bedtime procrastination and improve the health and well-being of nursing students.

Background Emphasizes the state of academic stress, social support, and self-regulatory fatigue on the physical and mental development of Chinese nursing students, the purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between these variables and the mediating role of social support in academic stress and self-regulatory fatigue among a group of undergraduate nursing students in Heilongjiang Province, China, in order to provide a theoretical basis for working to reduce nursing students’ self-regulatory fatigue. Methods In this cross-sectional study, 1703 nursing students from various academic years completed the scales of social support, academic stress, and self-regulatory fatigue. In the end, there were 797 valid questionnaires, for a recovery rate of 46.80%. For statistical analysis, the independent t-test, Kruskal Wallis test, and Pearson correlation coefficient were used. In addition, we undertake analyses using structural equation modeling. Results The bulk of nursing students, or 81.4%, are between the ages of 19 and 21. Eighty percent were females. The bulk (93.0%) was comprised of freshmen. Academic stress, social support, and self-regulatory fatigue had total scores of 111.28 ± 29.38, 37.87 ± 6.70, and 45.53 ± 5.55,respectively. Academic stress was correlated with social support and self-regulatory fatigue (all p < 0.001). Social support was an intermediate variable (p < 0.001), with an intermediate effect value of 0.122, representing 32.35% of the total effect. Conclusion Academic pressure is associated with an increase in self-regulatory fatigue, mediated by social support. Educational administrators should pay attention to the social support and resource supplement of nursing students, the adjustment and compensatory development of nursing students’ physical and mental resources, the advancement of nursing students’ internal resource adjustment, and the reduction of their self-regulatory fatigue.