You Snooze, You Lose?
When we hit that snooze button, does it actually improve our day, or is it the other way around? If staying in bed for a few extra minutes is part of your morning routine, this is especially for you, as you may reconsider doing it after reading this.
An interrupted sleep cycle doesn’t help.
Rapid Eye Movement is the fourth stage of sleep. There are 2 stages of light sleep that come first, followed by a deep dreamless slumber, and then REM sleep starts. The latter two stages are the most replenishing part of the sleep cycle, and to get through all four stages, you need around 1.5 hours of uninterrupted sleep. When you interrupt the sleep cycle, you don’t get to reach those deeper parts of your slumber, the 3rd and 4th stages. Without those, you will not feel energized throughout the day.
The snooze button isn’t actually helping you
In a study (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24891081/) of the effects of induced night waking versus sleep restrictions on sustained attention and mood, the pilot study indicates that ”similar to sleep restriction, one night of life-like repeated night – wakings negatively affects mood and sustained attention.”
This study goes to show that we need a good night’s sleep to be healthy, active, and attentive.
The solution is fairly simple.
The answer is simple: stop hitting that snooze button. It will suck for a few days, but afterward, you won’t believe this used to be a habit of yours. I used to hit the snooze 3 times each morning, so I’d set aside an extra 10 minutes each morning just for the snooze button, and still wake up tired and depleted of energy. Now, I use those extra 20 minutes to sleep. Each day, I wake up a few minutes before the alarm clock everyday day, because my body got used to the routine.
Don’t believe us? Try it!
Do our Radass #nosnoozechallenge, and don’t hit that snooze button for a week. You’ll be impressed with your results.
