Stop Snoozing Your Energy Away

Before you clock in on your phone’s time clock application, the very first thing you do when you wake up is probably turn off your phone’s alarm. And if you’re like most people, you’re not even turning it off immediately but instead hitting the snooze button to steal an extra nine minutes of sleep.

But according to Dr. Matthew Mingrone, the lead physician at Eos Sleep center, using the snooze isn’t just bad for your sleeping patterns, it also leaves you feeling more tired when you actually do get out of bed.

The reason is those extra minutes of sleep aren’t the restful, deep sleep that helps our bodies recharge. Instead, the snooze gives us a few minutes of light sleep, enough to lull our bodies back into a physically tired state but not enough to give us the energy deep sleep provides.

So how do you kick the snooze button habit? If you’re leaving extra time to sleep in already, just set your alarm later, to the time you actually anticipate getting up. That extra half hour of deep sleep will be much more restorative than the light sleeping that comes with hitting a snooze button.

If you’re still having trouble getting out of bed, try setting your phone away from the bed, far enough that you have to physically leave bed to turn it off, thus forcing you to wake up properly. It also helps to have a positive morning routine to look forward to. Coffee, exercise, a good breakfast, or whatever else will motivate you to want to wake up.