The sound of the alarm clock going off in the morning is hardly ever one we’re excited to hear, but for some, it’s more of a suggestion than a real call to get up. According to a recent study, more than half of adults are habitual snoozers who hit the button an average of 2.5 times to steal another 11 minutes of sleep. While it may feel good at the moment, it can have some downsides for your health.
“The sleep community doesn’t advocate for ‘snoozing’ repeatedly through alarms for several reasons,” says Dr. Dennis Auckley, who specializes in sleep medicine. The habit negatively affects our health in a few ways:
- Waking up several times interrupts and fragments sleep, which means you’ll cycle back and forth between light, non restorative sleep and being awake, which isn’t restful.
- It can leave you feeling tired and groggy when you finally get out of bed.
- It reinforces bad sleep habits, and Auckley warns, “The more times you do it, the worse it can be.”
- On top of not feeling rested, alert and at your best, the sleep expert points out that consistently not getting enough sleep can raise the risk of weight gain, cardiovascular disorders, metabolic disorders and even dementia.
Fortunately, you can break the sleep-snooze cycle by:
- Making sure you’re getting enough sleep to feel truly rested, which is between seven and eight hours a night for most folks.
- Sticking to a consistent sleep schedule, which Auckley notes is easier if you time to rise to when your internal body clock starts to wake you up.
- In the morning, try to resist hitting snooze and get up as soon as your alarm goes off.
- Getting morning light exposure as soon as possible when you wake up, which helps keep your internal clock in sync and improves alertness.
- Have a positive morning ritual to look forward to, whether it’s enjoying freshly made coffee on your porch or catching up on sports scores.
Source: NY Post