After the clock was invented, it wasn't long before a snooze button was added to give us all a little more time to sleep. Today, snoozing is a fairly standard practice, as many people choose to sleep in longer than their alarm clocks allow.
What effect does this have on our sleep routine?
At night, our bodies alternate between light and deep sleep. When we naturally wake up, our bodies begin the "reboot" about an hour before our eyes open. The brain sends signals to release hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline, body temperature rises and we sleep lighter as we prepare to wake up.
Thus, the sound of the alarm wakes us up before the natural process of awakening is complete, leading to restlessness that sometimes lasts all morning. And the snooze button could make it worse.
Why shouldn't we press snooze on the alarm clock?
The problem with snoozing is that the fragmented sleep it brings isn't just useless, it can actually affect the rest of our day. The extra 10 minutes of sleep we give ourselves over and over and over again is not productive sleep. If anything, all that interrupted sleep will make us feel more tired during the day. This is because pressing snooze can make us sleep longer than we need to or disrupt our sleep cycle.
On the one hand, although it sounds counterintuitive, sleeping too much makes us sleepier during the day.
On the other hand, when we hit snooze because we know we haven't slept enough, the resulting deviations in our sleep schedule can affect our internal clock and disrupt the timing of important biological processes. Not only can this make us feel tired, but it can also affect other things like metabolism, energy levels, etc.
How will you stop this habit?
1. Improve your sleep hygiene
Studies suggest that sleep apnea can become more severe after too little sleep or after waking up during the night. If sleep inactivity is really what makes it so hard to resist the urge to snooze, simply getting quality sleep can help you avoid making that decision you'll later regret.
2. Set the alarm at a realistic time
You might be tempted to set your alarm earlier than necessary to account for all the possible snoozes you'll hit. Don't give yourself that excuse. Setting your alarm for the time you actually need to wake up is the first step to creating a morning routine without procrastination.
3. Sit up as soon as you wake up
When the alarm goes off, a simple change in posture can wake up the body and make waking up in the morning easier.
4. Turn on the light as soon as the alarm goes off
Light signals the body to wake up and suppresses the production of melatonin, a hormone that promotes sleep. Exposure to light as soon as the alarm goes off can help you break out of sleep inertia and become more alert.
