We’ve written a lot about sleep — how we’re stressing it away, what we’re listening to help with it, how TikTok hacks are beneficial to it, how to stretch before it, and even what two things have changed it. But we’re never really focused on the waking up aspect of it all.
We’re all pretty reliant on alarms — phone, clock or child — to tell us when to get up and get going. Two of those things, come with snooze buttons. And we’ve become pretty reliant on them…seven more minutes of sleep really will make a difference, won’t it?
Well, not so fast. Alarms aren’t as good for you as you think in the first place. They can actually jolt you awake from your natural wake-up process — leaving you tired and groggy all morning.
What can make you even more tired? Yep, that darned snooze button. A research review found that “interrupted sleep” — the kind you get when you’re sleeping at intervals dictated to you by your phone — can result in sleep inertia. As in, prolonged feelings of grogginess, and disorientation.
These little bouts of snoozing cause sleep disturbances and not much good comes out of these. Research has found short-term consequences include emotional distress, mood disorders, cognitive deficits, and more. Long-term consequences? Yeah, they’re even less fun.
So what can be done to reduce your reliance on your snooze button? Well, some short-term goals include setting a realistic wake-up time. What time do you usually snooze until? Try setting your alarm for then — the time your body is telling you it’s ready to leave bed. Move your alarm — most likely, your phone — across the room, so you have to leave your warm comfy bed to turn it off.
If you’re pressing that snooze button multiple times a morning — aim for one less time each week. Do it gradually. Go from 30 minutes snoozing, to 20, to 10…you get the gist.
The best thing you can do for sleep? Cultivate better, long-term sleep habits — and aim for those seven to eight hours every night.
We’re Stressing Away Quality Sleep (Here’s How to Get It Back)
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