Repeatedly hitting the snooze button?

The thought of five more minutes floats into your head as you reach to tap on that snooze button. Five more minutes being cozy in bed sounds like bliss when it is still so gray and dark outside in the morning. However, hitting the snooze button can derail your morning completely and can cause more harm than good. 

According to Reena Mehra, M.D., M.S., Director of Sleep Disorders Research at the Cleveland Clinic, repeatedly hitting the snooze button is not a way to help our bodies get the restorative and restful sleep that we need. Since REM sleep happens in the latter part of the sleep cycle, Dr. Mehra states that by hitting snooze again and again, you’re disrupting the REM sleep, which is the restorative sleep state, therefore causing you to feel more tired. 

Dr. Mehra warns that many of us mistakenly think that we can operate on less than 7 hours of sleep. Research shows that insufficient sleep over time contributes to weight gain and cardiovascular risks. 

If you are hitting the snooze button most mornings, this is a friendly reminder to prioritize sleep. By going to bed earlier and shutting down technology at least an hour before bed, you can increase your overall well being with 7 - 8 hours of sleep. 

Try going to bed earlier tonight and see how not hitting the snooze button when you wake up can change your morning!