The snooze button may be good for one’s health.
Let’s be honest – hitting the snooze button has a bad reputation. Many people seem to believe that if they hit the snooze button, the day is getting off to a bad start, and it’s a habit that should be avoided at all costs. But is that really the case? To be sure, excessive snoozing could make people late for work, school, or any other place they need to be in a timely manner. But as far as health goes, new research seems to indicate that there really isn’t anything to worry about. And it might be possible that snoozing strategically could help to improve the waking process.
When someone sets an alarm at night, they typically intend on waking up at the time the alarm is set. However, when that time rolls around, the person might not feel ready to get out of bed – so they reach over and hit the snooze button to secure a few more minutes of rest.
Some people have been led to believe that frequently hitting snooze could be bad for sleep health and overall mental performance. However, a study that was completed recently was not able to confirm those beliefs. In fact, snooze habits seemed to have no notable impact on how people went through life.
More than 1,700 people participated in the initial sleep study. Research found that most of those people did use the snooze button at least from time to time, with some leaning on it more than others. On average, when the snooze was used, it was used for 22 minutes before the individual decided to get out of bed. These people typically described themselves as evening types, which is not surprising.
From there, a second study used around 30 people who regularly hit the snooze to see if that habit impacted their mental health or performance. In the end, the answer was no. Researchers weren’t able to find an impact on things like stress, mood, sleep quality, or anything else of note. As a result, the author of the study couldn’t note any reason to not use the snooze, assuming the person has the time available to stay in bed a little longer. It does need to be noted, however, that getting good sleep – and enough of it – remains one of the most important parts of staying healthy over the long run. Whether all of that sleep comes before the alarm goes off, or a little bit of it happens after, seems to be of little consequence.
For most people, the use of the snooze button likely comes down to a healthy balance. As this research showed, using the snooze from time to time to get a little more rest and ease into the day isn’t a bad thing at all. Of course, there will come a point when there isn’t any more time to use, and the snooze needs to be given a rest – so it’s up to each individual to know how to manage their sleep and get their day off to the best possible start.
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Hitting the snooze button won’t hurt your health, new sleep research finds
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