It is typical to want that extra sleep. The hours never seem to be enough, and it makes sense to want an extra 10, 15, or 30 minutes. Anything helps, right?
Wrong.
In past blogs I talked about saying no to the wrong things so we can say yes to the right things. This is one of those times. The little bit of extra sleep you get in the morning by pressing snooze will actually do you more damage than good. This keeps you from attaining the goals that a schedule makes possible.
In the 1970s the term “drockling” began being used to describe that period when a person is in and out of sleep. That is exactly what is happening when we hit out snooze button.
When you wake up and hit snooze your body’s mechanisms that are working to fully wake you up are put into queue. It is kind of like telling your body “false alarm, you can start heading back to REM!”. When your alarm goes off the second time your brain is surprised, and your body enters a state of inertia (that groggy, fuzzy-headed feeling). This continues to happen until you finally get up, and even then that state of inertia can last up to two hours. (Information gathered from Huffington Post)
Also, waking up at different times every day throws your body off completely. Basically, snoozing isn’t doing you any favors.
So what is a better idea? Set your alarm for when you HAVE to get up. You need to be awake by 6:45? Then set your alarm for 6:45, not for 6:30 because you want to be able to snooze. By building this kind of consistency you help your body reap the full benefits of sleep, and you will also avoid that inertia that can make it difficult to get out of bed in the morning.
Ditch the snooze and win the day. Start to see the benefits of choosing to give up those extra 15 minutes, and give your body the chance for success.
