We all know how to cheat the sleep system with that wonderful snooze button, but here’s a few reasons why you may want to reconsider hitting it tomorrow morning:

I am a morning person.  I love to wake up early and get my day started.  I’m famous for being a chipper, productive, and even excited person in the morning.  Even with all that enthusiasm, I love the snooze button.  No, really, I love it. No matter how many times I try to stop using it, I just can’t seem to.  I’ve always been notorious for setting my alarm an hour early (sometimes even more) just to be able to hit the snooze button a few times prior to actually getting out of bed.  I was convinced that by easing myself into waking up, I was helping myself.  But, unfortunately for me and many others, the snooze button is not doing us any good.

Just say no to the snooze button

In fact, it appears as though that beloved button is hurting rather than helping.  According to most sleep experts, hitting that snooze button in the morning not only creates a conflicting bundle of chemicals released into your body, but starts your day off on the wrong foot.

Throughout the night, your body goes through many chemical and mental processes.  In order to create that relaxed feeling one experiences just before falling asleep, your body releases serotonin.  Then, to help wake you up in the morning and prepare you for the day, your body releases dopamine.   By hitting the snooze button and effectively falling back to sleep, your body experiences a confusing mixture of serotonin and dopamine.  As a result, it becomes even harder for your body to get out of bed.

Not only is your body chemically confused by hitting the snooze button, but it can affect your mental capacities as well.  At Sleep City, our sleep experts explain that through the duration of the night, your body experiences two sleeping processes:  REM (rapid eye movement) and deep sleep.  The former allows you to sift through the previous days memories and organize them, preparing you for a new day of experiences.  The latter provides the pure sleep that is needed to feel truly well-rested upon waking.  Interestingly, deep sleep often occurs earlier in the night, while REM happens just before you wake up—this is also the time when dreams occur.  By waking up a half hour (or an hour if you’re me) before your body is ready, you infringe on the minds ability to process the previous day’s events.  In effect, setting your alarm to enable you to hit the snooze will not only leave you disoriented, but may also impact your memory, attention, and other mental capacities (Gizmodo).

Regardless of all this, I know how hard it can be to let go of your attachment to the snooze button, and to the even more beloved feeling of “extra” sleep.  In reality, it’s probably time we cut the rope, and release our hold on the snooze button.

Obviously getting a good night’s sleep is not always going to fit into our busy lives.  Your body benefits more by taking naps rather than hitting the snooze button in the morning.  For some helpful napping tips, I suggest reading the post, Celebrate Garfield with Good Sleep.

One reason you may feel hitting the snooze button is a necessity is because you aren’t getting great sleep, which may mean something is wrong with your mattress.  If you think it may be time for a new one, visit our Online Mattress Finder to discover the perfect bed for you.  If you’re still unsure about whether or not it’s time to upgrade, I suggest reading this blog post, for some helpful advice.

Cheers and sleep well.