Hitting the snooze button in the mornings is not always a bad thing – here’s why

If you like to press snooze on your alarm a few times before getting up in the morning, you’re not alone. According to some surveys, about 50%-60% of respondents report being snoozers.

Despite how common hitting the snooze button is, many of us have been told that it’s the wrong thing to do – and that catching a couple extra minutes of sleep in the morning before waking up will only make you feel more tired.

But a study my colleagues and I recently published indicates that this may not be true, showing that snoozing for a brief period in the morning may actually be beneficial for some people – in particular those who struggle with morning tiredness.

The study was conducted in two parts. First, more than 1,700 people answered an online questionnaire about their sleep and waking habits. This included questions about whether they press snooze on their alarm in the mornings.

Our team then compared those who reported snoozing at least sometimes with those who never snooze their alarm. We found that “snoozers” were on average six years younger (though there were snoozers of all ages) and got 13 minutes less sleep per night on workdays.

There was no difference in sleep duration on...

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