Is hitting the snooze button really all that bad for you?
Unfortunately, for those who frequently rely on the snooze button, science is not on their side. Findings from sleep research indicate that hitting the snooze button not only disturbs healthy sleep cycles but also results in feeling lethargic throughout the day.
If you’re an avid lover of hitting snooze, let’s explore 3 reasons on why it’s better to get up and greet the day the right way.
Regularly hitting the snooze button can confuse your brain.
If you have the habit of hitting the snooze button regularly, you could be conditioning your brain to have a harder time waking up in the morning.
Some sleep researchers believe that using the snooze button regularly could train your brain to associate the sound of your alarm with the idea of "just a few more minutes" instead of "time to wake up". Although occasional use of the snooze button may not cause this effect, habitual use is likely to make it more difficult to change this behavior.
Hitting the snooze button disrupts your body’s natural “wake up” routine.
Your body prepares to wake up two hours before you open your eyes by raising your body temperature and releasing chemicals that promote wakefulness. However, by hitting the snooze button, this can disrupt this process and cause sleep inertia which is a temporary disorientation and decline in performance and/or mood after awakening from sleep, leaving you feeling drowsy for hours. So, it's best to get up after your first alarm to maintain your energy levels throughout the day.
For the sleep deprived, hitting the snooze button can be worse.
If you aren’t getting the recommended amount of sleep for your age, your sleep routine is already off course. In addition to only having a few hours of sleep and turning on your snooze button, your body is prone to drift off into a full sleep cycle. If you wake up at one of the early sleep stages of this cycle, the consequence of this is feeling more tired or fatigued throughout the day rather than waking up with your first alarm.
Still committed to snoozing your alarm?
Here are some tips to consider:
- Keep yourself partially awake after hitting snooze for 9 minutes. During that time take the opportunity to stretch and slowly wake rather than drifting off to sleep.
- Trying hitting snooze only once and keep it to just 9 more minutes. The more times you put off getting out of bed, the more you confuse your brain and increase risk of sleep inertia.
- Swap the snooze button for a different alarm. Some apps and alarm clocks are designed to slowly wake you with either light or gradually increasing sound. This mimics your natural wake cycle and allows you to feel energized and ready to tackle the day!
- Try out STAMINAPRO Power Sleep Patches. If you are waking up frequently throughout the night or don’t feel adequately rested in the morning, use Power Sleep Patches so you can achieve more restorative sleep. Our patches are imprinted with electronic signatures from natural ingredients known to support sleep, so you can wake up groggy-free and ready to tackle the day ahead!
Stop letting your snooze button ruin your morning wake-up routine, try implementing these tips and using STAMINAPRO Power Sleep patches to wake up refreshed and improve your sleep quality. Remember, sleep is crucial for your well-being, so it's worth investing in it.
