Why Hitting the Snooze Button Is Unhealthy and How to Break the Habit

If your alarm clock feels more like a suggestion than a wake-up call, you’re not alone.

A recent study revealed that over half of adults regularly hit the snooze button, doing so approximately 2.5 times to enjoy an additional 11 minutes of sleep.

But that extra shut-eye does more than just cut into your morning routine or make you late for work.

The Post interviewed Dr. Dennis Auckley, who leads the Center for Sleep Medicine at MetroHealth, on the effects of snoozing your alarm on health and effective strategies to quit the habit permanently.

The alarm-ing truth about snoozing

“The sleep community doesn’t advocate for ‘snoozing’ repeatedly through alarms for several reasons,” Auckley said.

First up: Waking up several times will interrupt and fragment your sleep.

“This means you’ll be cycling back and forth between generally light nonrestorative sleep and being awake,” Auckley said. 

“This is not restful, and potentially means you could be missing out on consolidated better, deeper stages of sleep,” he added.

Second: It can start your day off on the wrong foot.

“The recurrent awakenings from the alarm can lead to feeling unrested and grogginess when you eventually get out of bed,” Auckley said.

Third: It can reinforce bad sleep habits.

“The more times you do it, the worse it can be,” Auckley said.

Fourth: You may not be fixing the problem by snoozing your alarm.

“While the most typical cause is simply not getting enough sleep, it might also indicate other sleep disorders that require assessment and treatment,” Auckley explained.

It’s estimated that between 50 and 70 million Americans have sleep disorders, and 1 in 3 US adults don’t regularly get the recommended amount of uninterrupted sleep they need to protect their health, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. 

The adverse effects of snoozing your alarm aren’t well studied, Auckley noted. However, he said research shows that inadequate sleep on a regular basis is associated with a wide range of negative health effects.

“Aside from not feeling rested, alert and at your best, a consistent lack of adequate sleep may increase risk of weight gain, cardiovascular disorders, metabolic disorders and even dementia,” he said.

How to break the sleep-snooze cycle

First things first, you need to make sure you’re getting enough sleep to feel truly rested. For most people, that means between 7 and 8 hours a night — though it can vary.

“You should determine what your individual sleep needs are, and then make it a priority to get that amount of sleep on a regular basis,” Auckley said.

Next, stick to a consistent sleep schedule.

“Knowing when your internal clock is set for you to awaken and then sticking to this set wake up time is most important,” Auckley explained. “Doing this will make it much easier to get up when the alarm first goes off.”

To avoid delays in falling asleep, he recommends turning off your phone, computer, tablet or television at least one hour before bedtime.

The blue light emitted from electronic screens can mess with melatonin, a hormone that regulates your sleep-wake cycle. This can make it harder to doze off and can negatively impact the quality of your sleep overnight.

Your sleep environment matters too. Auckley says your bedroom should be cool, quiet, dark and comfortable.

When morning comes, try resisting the urge to hit snooze — get out of bed as soon as your alarm sounds.

“For some individuals, having the alarm some distance away from the bed, so they have to get out of bed to turn it off, can be helpful,” Auckley said.

You could also consider using a sunrise alarm clock, which gradually brightens the room before the alarm goes off. This, Auckley explained, makes waking up less jarring.

If a sunrise alarm clock isn’t for you, try to get light exposure as soon as possible after waking.

“Natural light is best, but any bright light can help,” Auckley said. “This keeps your internal clock in sync and will improve alertness.”

Auckley also recommends creating a positive morning ritual with activities you look forward to, like savoring a steaming cup of coffee, whipping up a good breakfast, taking a relaxing shower or catching up on sports scores or the news.

And don’t forget: breaking a habit takes time. Auckley said it’s best to make these changes slowly and in stages.

If you’re still struggling despite your best efforts, he recommends talking to your doctor and asking about a sleep medicine specialist who can evaluate you for potential sleep disorders.

“Once diagnosed, all sleep disorders can be improved or treated, and this can lead to better sleep,” he said.