The Zombifying Snooze Button
Everyone’s always looking for the few more minutes of sleep every morning. Thus, the invention of the snooze button. Nothing beats being able to look at your phone, snooze your alarm, and go back to sleep with the realization that you still have another 30 minutes to sleep. There’s really no better feeling than seeing your significant other getting dressed for work. Meanwhile, you still have maybe 15 or 30 more minutes to sleep.
It’s the best invention ever – until 9 minutes later, when you have to end up pressing the snooze button again. You end up having to press the button, again and again, in an endless cycle, until you’re finally running really late, yet still incredibly tired. Some experts are saying that constant usage of the snooze button actually interrupts the body’s normal circadian rhythm, meaning that the body’s natural timing of waking up is also interrupted.
When you constantly press the snooze button, what’s actually happening, is that you’re making the wake-up process more difficult and drawn out. If you manage to fall back into sleep, most likely, your brain will plunge back into the beginning of the entire sleep cycle, which is the worst time to be woken up. That’s why you feel more tired after every time you press that dreaded button.
The New Yorker
Sleeping experts (yes, there are such people as sleeping experts) suggest that a more effective approach would be to instead of waking yourself up 15 minutes earlier so that you feel like you can sleep for 15 more minutes, would be to set your alarm at the specific time you wish to wake up – and actually getting up when your alarm rings.
Also, try using a relaxing alarm tone that gradually increases in volume. That’ll make the transition into waking up smoother, and not so abrupt. There are quite a few apps on the Play Store and App Store that do this sort of thing.
However, the most important thing in an effective, full sleep, would be to actually sleep early, around 7 hours right before you want to wake up. On top of that, make your sleep schedules are regular. Don’t deviate too much on the times you go to sleep. Find a rhythm that doesn’t require you to need the snooze button. Increase the quality of your life – get some awesome sleep!
