How To Stop Hitting The Snooze Button

Say goodbye to “just 10 more minutes…” (Photo: Getty Images)

Are you one of those people who sets the alarm early, hoping to finally — magically — morph into a morning person who is able to wake up without hitting snooze?  For many of us (particularly the non-early bird crowd), the thought of waking up on the first alarm seems nearly impossible. But the truth is, it is possible to break your snooze button habit.

WHY YOU NEED TO MAKE THE CHANGE

A lot of us are hooked on the snooze button — more than a third of adults in the U.S. say every morning they snooze three times at least, research shows. But this doesn’t mean the daily habit is healthy. In fact, hitting the snooze button ends up fragmenting your sleep. “If you are in REM sleep and you interrupt it with the snooze alarm, this can lead to an inability to process and reconcile emotionally laden memories from the previous day,” Robert Rosenberg, DO, writes on Everyday Health. “In addition, fragmented sleep can result in moodiness, cognitive problems, and trouble paying attention.”

Related: 5 Ways To Control Your Dreams

And then there’s the underlying issue of why you keep hitting snooze. For many of us, that “why” is sleep deprivation, which comes with its own huge set of negative implications for health. Sleep deprivation is associated with impaired memory, stroke, obesity, cancer risk, and even early death, research shows.

HOW TO DO IT

So how can you override your body’s natural urge to hit snooze? Making a conscious decision so early in the morning might seem like a daunting task, but there are some ways it can be done. First things first: Get enough sleep. Leon C. Lack, PhD, a psychology professor at Flinders University in Adelaide, tells Everyday Health that if you’re chronically sleep deprived, your internal clock may be out of whack. And being awoken when you’re in the throes of REM sleep means for a ruder wake-up call, The Huffington Post reports.

A solution: Stick to a consistent bedtime, ensuring you get adequate shut-eye each night, Lack recommends to Everyday Health.  (While sleep needs will differ a bit from person to person — with some people needing more or less than others — most adults need around 7.5 hours a night.)

Related: This Sleep Tweak Could Help You Worry Less

Engaging your senses can also help. The Huffington Post reports smell  — try setting your coffeemaker to start brewing right before you wake up! — and sight — sunshine or artificial light will do the trick — can also help you wake up in the morning.

One more trick: Move your alarm away from reach of your bed. That way you’ll be forced to get out of bed and less likely to snooze, Greatist notes.

Finally! You Can… is a Yahoo Health series empowering you to achieve your wellness goals — once and for all. 

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