The snooze button may seem like your friend, but your relationship is probably toxic. Your alarm clock could be interfering with the quality and quantity of your sleep.
Believe it or not, the best sleep is when you wake naturally at the right feeling refreshed. You shouldn’t need a daily alarm to wake up on time.
What happens to your brain when you keep hitting the snooze button each morning?
You experience several stages of sleep throughout the night. Towards morning, the percentage of rapid eye movement or REM sleep increases. That’s when you dream and enjoy more restorative effects.
That’s also when you’re likely to hit the snooze button and interrupt the cycle. As a result, you tend to feel groggy or a bit disoriented and sleep inertia can continue for hours. This happens because you are unlikely to fall back into REM sleep and if you do, it’s disorienting for your brain. You’re more likely to fall back into a light sleep which isn’t as restorative compared to letting yourself sleep a bit longer, without an alarm. If you keep up the practice of snoozing your alarm, you can disrupt your sleep cycle and circadian rhythm.
Say goodbye to your snooze button and say hello to pleasant dreams. Try these tips for waking up more naturally.
9 Suggestions for how to quit the snooze button habit
1. Make a commitment
Are you short-changing yourself on sleep so you can work late hours or watch Netflix? Remember that chronic fatigue can contribute to weight gain, heart conditions, and other health issues. Aim for at least 7 hours of sleep a night. Perhaps use your alarm to ensure you go to bed on time.
2. Keep your distance
Put the snooze button out of reach and the time out of eyesight. Move your alarm clock or phone off your nightstand and place them across the room so you cannot see the time and you have to get up when it goes off.
3. Budget your time
Do you set your alarm early so you can press snooze several times? Calculate how much time you really need in the morning and eliminate that leeway. Set your alarm for when you really need to get up.
4. Plan a treat
Dangle a reward that will make you want to throw off the covers and get up in the morning. Eat a delicious breakfast, sign up for an early yoga or spin class or meet up with a friend or colleague before work.
5. Seek support
Let your family know what you’re doing and enlist their support. If you have pets, cats and dogs can also be very persuasive when they want you to open your eyes.
6. Track your sleep history on paper or via an app
Sleep apps tend to be inaccurate because individual sleep patterns vary so widely. However, they can help you be more aware of your behaviour, especially while trying to change your habits. If you prefer a pen-and-paper system, here’s one for you to download and use.
7. Vary the sounds
Maybe you’re so used to your alarm that you turn it off without even realizing what you’re doing. Use different sounds to capture your attention. You may also want to experiment with devices that use light or vibrations. I have found sleeping with the Bose Sleepbuds that have an inbuilt alarm very effective.
8. Deal with relapses
A long-standing snooze habit can take time to break. Be patient and grateful for the gradual progress of weaning yourself off of it.
9. Talk with your doctor
What if you’re sleeping 7 to 8 hours a night and still having trouble waking up naturally? See your doctor to discuss whether you might benefit from a sleep study.
Additional tips for restful sleep:
- Be consistent: Giving your mind and body sufficient rest is the most effective way to break the snooze button habit. Go to bed and rise at the same time each day as much as possible, even on weekends and holidays.
- Block out noise: If your neighbour’s TV is keeping you up, buy a fan or white noise machine. Look for comfortable earplugs if you need more help.
- Adjust the lights: Exposure to morning light changes your hormone levels and helps with waking up. Open your curtains or blind as soon as you wake to let natural light in. You’ll find it easier to wake up in the morning and fall asleep at night once you get into the habit of letting light in.
- Turn off electronics: Bright lights and exciting movies stimulate your brain and wake you up more. Turn off the TV and other devices at least one to two hours before bed or at the very least change what you watch before going to bed.
The next time you’re tempted to hit the snooze button, ask yourself if increasing your chances of a long and active life is more important than 9 minutes of fragmented sleep.
A consistent sleep schedule and other simple habits can help you wake up feeling fresh and enjoy each day more.
If you are struggling to keep a sleep routine because you have a chaotic schedule, struggle to sleep well regularly or you are also dealing with other health complaints, book in a confidential call and we can explore some strategies together of what you can do to help you get a more restorative sleep, every night, naturally.
