Fan of the snooze button? Researchers say ‘there is no reason to stop’
(The Hill) — Those hoping to gain a few extra minutes of sleep by hitting the snooze button should have no reason to halt their habits, according to new research.
New research conducted at Stockholm University discovered that the popular habit of hitting snooze on a morning alarm does not have negative effects on a person’s health or sleep patterns. The findings, published Wednesday in the Journal of Sleep Research, found that 30 minutes of snoozing does not have any “clear effects” on the cortisol awakening response, morning sleepiness, mood or overnight sleep architecture.
“The findings indicate that there is no reason to stop snoozing in the morning if you enjoy it, at least not for snooze times around 30 minutes. In fact, it may even help those with morning drowsiness to be slightly more awake once they get up,” corresponding author Tina Sundelin, Ph.D., of Stockholm University said in a statement.
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The researchers conducted two studies. The first study surveyed 1,732 adults about their waking habits and found that 69 respondents reported using the snooze function are setting multiple alarms at least “sometimes.” It also found that the average time spent snoozing was 22 minutes, but it ranged from 1 to 180 minutes.
The first study found that morning drowsiness and shorter sleep periods were more common among those who snooze.
The second study took a look at 31 habitual snoozers and discovered that 30 minutes of hitting the snooze button did not affect performance on cognitive tests compared with waking up abruptly to one alarm. It found that while snoozing resulted in the loss of six minutes of sleep, it did not have significant effects on stress hormone levels, morning sleepiness, mood or sleep structure, the study said.
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