Don't be alarmed, but hitting snooze button unhealthy: Doc

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You snooze, you lose.

The old saying is true, according to the director of a sleep medicine centre.

A recent study that found that more than half of adults smash the snooze button on average of 2.5 times to snag an extra 11 minutes of sleep.

The extra shut-eye does more than just eat into your morning routine or make you late for work, however. Dr. Dennis Auckley, director of the Center for Sleep Medicine at MetroHealth, said endlessly hitting the snooze button is not “zzz” best way to go through life.

“The sleep community doesn’t advocate for ‘snoozing’ repeatedly through alarms for several reasons,” Auckley said, per the New York Post.

Waking up several times will interrupt and fragment your sleep, the doc said.

“This means you’ll be cycling back and forth between generally light, nonrestorative sleep and being awake,” Auckley said. “This is not restful, and potentially means you could be missing out on consolidated better, deeper stages of sleep.”

Snoozing can start your day off on the wrong foot.

“The recurrent awakenings from the alarm can lead to feeling unrested and grogginess when you eventually get out of bed,” Auckley said.

What’s more, hitting the button can reinforce bad sleep habits.

“The more times you do it, the worse it can be,” Auckley said.

And extra sleep might not even fix the problem.

“While the most common reason for this is a simple lack of adequate sleep time, it could also be a sign of other sleep disorders that may need evaluation and treatment,” Auckley said.

It’s estimated that between 50 and 70 million Americans have sleep disorders, while one in three U.S. adults don’t regularly get the recommended amount of uninterrupted shut-eye needed to protect their health, per the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

Adverse effects of snoozing your alarm aren’t well-studied, the doctor noted, but he said research showed that inadequate sleep on a regular basis is associated with a range of negative health effects.

“Aside from not feeling rested, alert and at your best, a consistent lack of adequate sleep may increase risk of weight gain, cardiovascular disorders, metabolic disorders and even dementia,” he said.

HOW TO BREAK THE CYCLE

Getting enough sleep to truly feel rested is the first step. That means between seven and eight hours per night for most people.

“You should determine what your individual sleep needs are and then make it a priority to get that amount of sleep on a regular basis,” Auckley said.

Sticking to a consistent sleep schedule is also critical.

“Knowing when your internal clock is set for you to awaken and then sticking to this set wake-up time is most important,” Auckley said. “Doing this will make it much easier to get up when the alarm first goes off.”

To escape delays in falling asleep, the doc recommends turning off your phone, computer, tablet or TV at least one hour before bedtime as the blue light emitted from electronic screens can interrupt melatonin, a hormone that regulates the sleep-wake cycle.

Sleeping environments matter, too. Auckley said bedrooms should be cool, quiet, dark and comfortable.

“For some individuals, having the alarm some distance away from the bed, so they have to get out of bed to turn it off, can be helpful,” Auckley said.

Some might also consider using a sunrise alarm clock, which gradually brightens the room before the alarm goes off, making waking up less jarring.

“Natural light is best, but any bright light can help,” Auckley said. “This keeps your internal clock in sync and will improve alertness.”