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Should I hit the snooze button? Science-backed sleep advice for alarm dodgers
There are two types of people in the morning: those people who spring out of bed as soon as their alarm goes off, and those who are tormented by the snooze button.
If you’re a habitual snooze hitter, you’re not alone. Many of us struggle to resist the temptation of a few extra minutes in bed. But does snoozing really give us a couple more minute’s rest or does it steal are energy and alertness? Here’s our science-backed sleep advice.
Very few people are ready and raring for the day the second they open their eyes in the morning. For most of us, it takes a few minutes to ease into the day.
The snooze button was invented to assist that transition period by letting us rest a little longer, without letting us fall back asleep completely. It creates a more gradual transition from sleep to wakefulness.
There’s very little research so far on whether the snooze alarm helps or hinders sleep habits. What we do know, however, is divisive. Here’s the good and the bad news.
When you hit snooze, your body starts falling back into a deep sleep, only to be abruptly awakened a few minutes later. This interruption may cause sleep inertia, the lingering groggy and drowsy feeling you get when you’re abruptly woken up mid-sleep.
Sleep inertia can last for hours, making those few extra minutes of rest detrimental for a significant chunk of your day.
If you have the time for that extra 9 minutes of snoozing, it might be better for your sleep to simply set your alarm for 9 minutes later in the morning, and reap the benefits of deep sleep for longer.
(that said, we’re taking no accountability if you end up running late!)
On the other hand, a recent study published in the Journal of Sleep Research looked at how pressing the snooze button affected 31 adults' functioning in the morning.
Surprisingly, those who’d hit snooze performed slightly better on tests and snoozing did not seem to impact their overall sleep quality, energy levels, or mood.
Before you get too excited, this is just one small study and we don’t have enough research to draw conclusions just yet!
If hitting snooze has become a regular part of your morning routine, it's possible that you're not getting enough quality sleep to begin with. There are many ways to improve your sleep quality and wake up well-rested, so you don’t require those extra few minutes in bed.
Here are some ways to create a sleep-friendly environment include:
If you’re a habitual snooze hitter, you’re not alone. Many of us struggle to resist the temptation of a few extra minutes in bed. But does snoozing really give us a couple more minute’s rest or does it steal are energy and alertness? Here’s our science-backed sleep advice.
Why do we hit snooze?
Very few people are ready and raring for the day the second they open their eyes in the morning. For most of us, it takes a few minutes to ease into the day.
The snooze button was invented to assist that transition period by letting us rest a little longer, without letting us fall back asleep completely. It creates a more gradual transition from sleep to wakefulness.
Should we stop using the snooze button?
There’s very little research so far on whether the snooze alarm helps or hinders sleep habits. What we do know, however, is divisive. Here’s the good and the bad news.
No:
When you hit snooze, your body starts falling back into a deep sleep, only to be abruptly awakened a few minutes later. This interruption may cause sleep inertia, the lingering groggy and drowsy feeling you get when you’re abruptly woken up mid-sleep.
Sleep inertia can last for hours, making those few extra minutes of rest detrimental for a significant chunk of your day.
If you have the time for that extra 9 minutes of snoozing, it might be better for your sleep to simply set your alarm for 9 minutes later in the morning, and reap the benefits of deep sleep for longer.
(that said, we’re taking no accountability if you end up running late!)
Yes
On the other hand, a recent study published in the Journal of Sleep Research looked at how pressing the snooze button affected 31 adults' functioning in the morning.
Surprisingly, those who’d hit snooze performed slightly better on tests and snoozing did not seem to impact their overall sleep quality, energy levels, or mood.
Before you get too excited, this is just one small study and we don’t have enough research to draw conclusions just yet!
Sleep advice for waking up without the snooze button
If hitting snooze has become a regular part of your morning routine, it's possible that you're not getting enough quality sleep to begin with. There are many ways to improve your sleep quality and wake up well-rested, so you don’t require those extra few minutes in bed.
Here are some ways to create a sleep-friendly environment include:
- Make sure your bedroom is cool, dark, and quiet
- Invest in comfortable bedding and a supportive mattress
- Consider using blackout curtains or an eye mask to block out any external light
- Use earplugs or a white noise machine to drown out any disruptive sounds
- Implement our Sleep Better aromatherapy products into your bedtime routine.
