Your Snooze Button and Why It’s Messing with You!

Did you know that hitting the snooze button actually makes it harder to get out of bed in the morning?  

Studies have shown that we get most of our REM sleep (or dream sleep) in the latter part of our sleep cycles (these cycles happen multiple times throughout the night).  We also get more REM sleep overall in the early morning hours.  REM sleep is the most restorative part of the sleep cycle.  When your alarm goes off in the morning, you’re most likely disrupting REM sleep; especially if you wake up from a dream.  By choosing to hit your snooze button instead of getting up, you are starting another sleep cycle and may be reentering another REM cycle within that sleep cycle.  

If hitting your snooze button is something you regularly do, you also likely set your alarm earlier than you actually need to get up to allow for the “snooze time”.  By choosing to set your alarm earlier than you have to get up so you can hit the snooze button several times before getting up, you’re losing some of that precious restorative sleep each morning and you’re creating sleep inertia - both of these make it even harder to get up.

While it can be tempting to hit the snooze button and stay in bed a little longer (especially on cold mornings), this can and will leave you feeling groggy and tired.

Why is my Snooze Button Bad for Me?

A sleep cycle is 90-110 minutes.  Your alarm clock goes off in the morning and you just ended or interrupted a sleep cycle.  If you choose to hit snooze, when your alarm goes off again, you’re now 9 minutes into a 90-110 minute sleep cycle.  This is why you’re so startled when the alarm goes off again.  If you keep hitting snooze, you keep starting and stopping sleep cycles making the sleep inertia worse!  

What the heck is ‘sleep inertia’??

Sleep inertia is the groggy feeling you experience when you first wake up.  That feeling of not quite being awake and your brain hasn’t fully kicked into gear yet.  This feeling is what makes the snooze button so very tempting!

To make matters worse, if you’re sleep deprived, you’re more likely to have strong and longer lasting sleep inertia in the morning because your body really wants you to get the sleep you actually need.  If you’re getting enough sleep, sleep inertia should last no longer than a couple minutes (up to 30 minutes for those with some medical conditions).  If you’re hitting the snooze button, sleep inertia can last up to four hours, which can impact decision making and your ability to focus on getting tasks done quickly and effectively.  This also increases the chance of an accident when driving because your reflexes are slowed.  Simply put, sleep inertia is a productivity killer!

How to Stop Hitting Snooze:

By getting up the moment your alarm goes off, you’ll find that you’re more likely to be alert and awake throughout your day.  Yes, it’s hard AF the first few times you do this but it does get easier! 

It will take time to train your brain and your body not to use the snooze button.  The easiest way to get past it is to count down from 5 to 1 and simply get up (this is Mel Robbins 5 second rule and it actually works!).

Here are a couple more tips/tricks that can help you break up with your snooze button:

1. Make sure you’re actually getting enough sleep by making sleep a priority.  I know this sounds easy, but many of us short our sleep on a regular basis by staying up too late.  Try to get somewhere between 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night.  If you’re getting less than 7 hours of sleep consistently, take a look at why and see what changes you can make.

2. Get some time in sunlight first thing in the morning.  This helps to regulate your circadian rhythm, which in turn tells your body when it’s time to wake up and fall asleep.  Through the winter and on gray days, try a sun lamp.  This can be a game changer for those who struggle with seasonal depression or work shift work.

3. Place your alarm clock (or phone) across the room and not on the nightstand beside you.  This one is obvious and annoying at the same time because it makes you physically get up to turn off the alarm.  Once you’re up, it’s far easier to stay up and moving.

4. Try a natural alarm clock.  I’ve never been a fan of the harsh electronic alarm clocks.  I find them too jarring.  Sunrise alarm clocks can be a more natural and gentle way to wake up.  It can make it easier to get out of bed because they also help to regulate your circadian rhythm (aka your sleep-wake cycle).  Note - this can tie into tip #2. ;)

5. Give yourself a reason to get up. Whether it's a workout, a delicious breakfast or a fun morning activity, give yourself a reason to get out of bed and start the day.  Giving yourself something to look forward to is always a good thing and will help to lift your mood in general beyond helping you get up.

6. Reward yourself for not hitting snooze. Set a goal for yourself, such as not hitting snooze for a week, and reward yourself when you achieve it.  Rewards can be very powerful ways to help us achieve our goals.

7. Change your mindset. Dreading your morning or dreading something you have to do tomorrow can make getting up all the harder.  Instead of thinking of your alarm as a nuisance, try to think of it as a sign that you're starting a new day with new opportunities.  Consider choosing to think about the positives about getting up vs. the negatives.  Find the silver lining!

Breaking up with your snooze button may not be easy, but it can be done. With a little effort and determination, you can train yourself to wake up when your alarm goes off and start your day feeling refreshed and energized.

If you want to break this habit and you want a little extra accountability, email me at Hello@DancingWillowWellness.com with ‘Breaking up with my snooze button!’ in the subject line and I’ll check back with you a week later to see how you’ve done!

Andrea

PS: A bonus tip and something I’ve been loving lately!

Set your phone so the greyscale automatically turns on at 8pm and turns off at 8am.  While you can still use your phone, there isn’t any colour.  This significantly reduces the dopamine produced when using your phone at night.  It really does get dull and boring.  I’ve been finding that I’m losing interest in my phone after 8pm.  I also chose to set the time it turns off as 8am because I don’t want to be on my phone first thing in the morning either.  So far, it’s working.