Many of us are guilty of setting multiple alarms and hitting the snooze button for 'just five more minutes'.
In fact, more than half of us admit to snoozing our alarms on our phones, according to sleep experts.
But, according to a new study in smartphone users, you should think twice before hitting the snooze button as it might be doing more harm than good.
Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Massachusetts revealed that even though you think you're getting extra sleep, your body might not be getting the restorative sleep it needs.
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"Many of us hit the snooze alarm in the morning with the hope of getting a little more sleep," said study author Dr Rebecca Robbins. "But this widely practised phenomenon has received little attention in sleep research."
Using data from the Sleep Cycle app, the team analysed the sleep habits of over 21,000 people around the world.
The data spanned six months and included more than three million recorded sleep sessions from four continents.
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They found that around 55% of participants ended their sleep with a snooze alarm and overall, users spent an average of 11 minutes between snooze alarms before finally waking up. Women were found to be the more likely culprits, too, hitting the snooze button 'significantly more' than men.
The problem is that the hours just before first waking up are rich in rapid eye movement sleep (REM), which is possibly the most crucial sleep stage, Dr. Robbins explained.
REM sleep plays a crucial role in memory consolidation, cognitive functioning and emotional processing. And hitting that snooze alarm only puts you back into a light sleep stage rather than REM sleep. This explains why those extra few minutes actually leave you feeling groggier and less refreshed.
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Instead, the scientists recommend setting your alarm as late as possible and getting up as soon as it goes off.
"The best approach for optimising your sleep and next day performance is to set your alarm for the latest possible time, then commit to getting out of bed when your first alarm goes off," Dr. Robbins added.
Interestingly, the study also found that participants hit the snooze most during Monday to Friday and, as expected, the lowest on the weekend. Also, those who slept more than nine hours were more likely to snooze than those who went to bed later.
The team also found that long sleep sessions (more than nine hours) were more likely to end with snooze alarm use than nine hours or less.
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So, the next time you feel tempted to tap that snooze button for a few extra minutes, it might just be worth skipping it altogether. Your brain and body will thank you.