The Dangers of the Snooze Button
Clocks to tell time and signal events have been used for centuries. From town clocks that would chime on the hour to churches that would ring bells to signify special events, noise and alarms to bring certain events to our attention isn’t new. The idea of a clock that would buzz to pull us from slumber actually is quite new. Well, new in the sense that mechanical clocks have been around since the early 1300s and clocks in general have been found and dated back to 400 B.C. Ever since there has been an annoying alarm waking us up, there has been the desire to stay in bed and catch a few more minutes of sleep. How dangerous are snooze buttons? Why were they first used? And why do you feel more groggy when getting those extra few minutes of sleep compared to if you get up right away?
The History of Alarm Clocks
The very first American alarm clock was invented by Levi Hutchins in Concord, New Hampshire in 1787. His job required him to wake up at 4am and he often slept in. So he created a specific alarm clock that would ring every morning at 4. 60 years later Antoin Redier - a French inventor - created the first set-able alarm clock for personal use.
The snooze button came about 100 years later and was first incorporated into an alarm clock by the General Electric Company in 1956. While many people would have turned off their alarms and simply gone to sleep again, there is a certain comfort in knowing that a few minutes later, that alarm will come again. It’s a safety net for the tired.
Today, about 57% of Americans hit the snooze button. The same percentage, in the same study, confessed to spending about 5 minutes a day dozing in bed, not fully going back to sleep and not fully being awake. That adds up to two full days a year spent in a somewhat sleeping-not-sleeping state.
Snooze Buttons: Not a Good Idea
Hitting snooze every so often isn’t so bad. The big challenge with snooze buttons is that most people say they hit snooze every single morning.
Snooze buttons can leave you feeling sleepier and groggy for the entire day. Sleeping takes you through a set of sleep cycles. When your morning alarm goes off, most people are ending their last REM cycle. Now, this can change per person but it’s usually the case.
REM signals the end of your body's sleep rotation. After REM, you cycle back to the beginning. If you get up at this point, your brain is alert, rested and feels a sense of completion. Mentally, you’re ready and set for your day.
When you sit snooze and close your eyes again, your mind will slip back into REM, not restart a new cycle. At the beginning of your night’s sleep, REM can be as short as 10 minutes. However, the longer you sleep the longer your REM cycles get. By the time you’ve been asleep for 7 hours, REM sleep can last up to an hour. If you slip back into REM and restart that cycle, you are being woken up part-way through.
It is this interruption of a type of “false” REM that leaves you feeling groggy. In this way, when you’re feeling tired, going back to sleep is actually one of the worst things you can do.
How To Avoid the Snooze Button
If you find yourself hitting snooze more and more often - maybe even every morning - you may need to take a deeper look at your sleep habits. Here are some things to look for or think about if you hit snooze every morning.
Are You Giving Yourself Enough Sleep Time?
The average adult needs 7 or more hours a night. If you feel sleepy every morning, this may be the first thing to look at. Are you getting enough sleep?
Are You Recovering from Sleep Debt?
If you are trying to get back on track after multiple nights of little sleep or low-quality sleep, don’t rush it. It can take up to a week to recover from a sleep debt, so the morning tiredness could be lasting. If you are working to recuperate from a sleep debt, continue to get extra sleep and watch how you feel in the mornings; it should improve after a few more days.
Are You Fighting Your Body Clock?
Our bodies have a natural internal clock that tells us when to feel sleepy and when to wake up. Taking up too late or getting up too early can mess with what our bodies feel are “natural”. This can leave us feeling sleepy. There are ways to adjust to sleeping during the day, working shift work, or for those who are simply night owls. If you like to stay up late, maximizing daylight exposure when you first get up, limiting screen time 30 minutes before bed and eating something for breakfast right in the morning can make a difference.
Do You Need To Adjust Your Sleep Environment?
Quality sleep is more than just what time you go to bed. It’s also about the light in your room, the type of pillows you use, your sleep habits, if you use a screen before bed and so many other things. If you wake up tired every day it could be a reflection of your bedroom environment.
Could You Have a Sleep Disorder?
If you really aren’t sure why you are so sleepy, it could be a sign of a sleep disorder or even a vitamin deficiency. If you aren’t sure why you are so tired in the mornings, consider speaking to your doctor or booking a sleep study to learn more about your sleep habits.
What To Do Instead of Snooze
If hitting snooze is a part of your daily routine, try taking that extra 10 minutes that you’d lay in bed and spend it doing something to set yourself up for your day. 10 minutes of stretching - even if you do it in bed - is a great way to help yourself wake up. Journal writing, reading a chapter of a book, drinking a tea or glass of water, playing with your pet or going for a morning walk around the block can help you avoid that button.
Avoid the Snooze Button and Feel More Alert
Avoiding the snooze button in the mornings can help you feel more awake and more alert. With these tips and tricks, you can hit snooze less and wake up feeling refreshed and ready for your day.