Why You Shouldn't Be Hitting Snooze Every Morning + What To Do Instead

It's becoming increasingly clear that sleep is one of the pillars of good health. So, naturally, every extra minute you can squeeze in counts, right? It turns out, the short interval after hitting snooze and before your alarm goes off again doesn't actually do much in the way of adding energy to the tank. 

The default nine minutes isn't enough time to complete the full sleep cycle necessary for restorative sleep. As you might know, there are four stages of sleep: Stage 1, 2, 3, and REM sleep. Stages 1 and 2 are light sleep, while Stage 3 is the good stuff, deep sleep, and REM (rapid-eye movement) sleep is when you are dreaming. While each stage is important, Stage 3 and REM sleep are the most restorative. You cycle through the stages in order, and a full sleep cycle takes at least 90 minutes. 

So, in those extra snooze minutes, you probably won't be hitting Stage 3 and getting any more restful sleep. In other words, you might as well just get out of bed when the alarm goes off. As holistic psychiatrist Ellen Vora, M.D. explains, "There are better ways to get rest." Adding that with the snooze button, "Nobody wins. You're not getting great rest, and you're also not having a leisurely, relaxed morning." You are better off setting your alarm for a realistic time and creating an energizing morning routine rather than convincing yourself a few more minutes in bed is what you need. 

OK, so the snooze button isn't making us more rested, but could it actually be making us feel less rested? Unfortunately, it seems like the answer is yes. Not only are you not getting extra rest, but you could also be setting yourself up to feel groggy all day.

While there is no specific research on the snooze button, studies of disrupted sleep make a compelling argument for breaking up with the button. In one study1, participants who were repeated woken up four times during the night reported similar levels of fatigue as those who had gotten just four hours of sleep, even though the group that was woken up got a full eight hours of sleep. So, it probably isn't a stretch to say repeatedly being woken up by your alarm clock, followed by a brief sleep and another alarm might actually increase tiredness. 

Another reason to be concerned about snoozing? It could contribute to what scientists call sleep inertia2. Sleep inertia is the feeling of grogginess you experience just after waking that can impair your ability to perform simple tasks (think shampooing your hair twice by accident). While sleep inertia usually wears off within an hour of waking, waking up during the wrong sleep cycle may make it last up to four hours. This is especially true of REM and Stage 3 sleep. So if you hit the alarm and drift back into REM sleep, you could be feeling the effects until lunchtime. While more research is needed to determine whether there really is a link between the snooze button and grogginess, personal experience points to yes.  

While quitting snooze is an important step in better sleep hygiene, it may just be a symptom of a bigger problem. Vora explains, "If you're a serious snoozer (no judgment here; this was me in a past life and still is from time to time), recognize that the real issue is that you're not getting adequate quantity and/or quality sleep, so you're not waking up feeling rested." According to The National Sleep Foundation, adults need seven to nine hours of sleep a night.