Pressing the snooze button on the alarm clock to get another 10 minutes of sleep is tempting for many people. However, repeatedly using the snooze button forces you to interrupt your sleep cycle and can cause a prolonged feeling of tiredness throughout the day. If you want to resist the morning call of the snooze button, read on and put into practice the helpful tips given to help you change your lifestyle for the better.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Learning Not to Use the Snooze Button
Step 1. Improve your night habits
The body is able to independently regulate the sleep / wake cycle. Improving the quantity and quality of your sleep will allow you to wake up more rested and energetic. As a result, you will be less inclined to press the snooze button when the alarm goes off.
- Go to bed and get up at the same time every day, including holidays. Your body will gradually adjust to its predetermined sleep cycle, and before you wake it, it will enter a lighter sleep phase to prepare for awakening. In fact, if you can maintain a regular sleep pattern, you will be able to wake up even before the alarm rings.
- Before going to sleep, avoid protein-rich foods. The body digests them with difficulty, so it may force you to wake up at night to complete the digestive process. Some studies indicate that whole grains are able to promote quality sleep.
- Avoid TV screens, computers and phones - the blue light emitted by most electronic devices stimulates the brain and hinders sleep. Make an effort to turn off all your devices an hour before bedtime.
- Although alcohol induces sleepiness, taking it before bedtime negatively interferes with REM sleep, reducing it in quantity. As a result, you may feel more tired the next morning and be prompted to hit the snooze button on your alarm clock.
Step 2. Expose yourself to the light
Our biological clock is set to wake us up in the presence of light. Morning exposure to natural or artificial light can help us face the start of the day with the right vitality, allowing us to get out of bed and get moving right away instead of staying between the sheets after pressing the snooze button.
- Try opening curtains and blinds as soon as you wake up. Alternatively, leave them open all night to allow natural daylight to gradually wake you up in the morning.
- If you don't sleep next to a window, try turning on the light immediately. If you share a room with your partner or friend, leave the room immediately and turn on the light in the hallway.
Step 3. Set the alarm correctly
We often tend to press the snooze button just for convenience. Changing your alarm settings and location may help you reduce the chances of using it.
- Place the alarm clock across the room. Simply having to get up, walk across the room, and turn off the alarm may help you feel awake enough not to want to go back to bed.
- Set more than one alarm. Having to silence more than one ringtone will take some time. As a result, you may start feeling awake even before you are tempted to hit the snooze button.
- Move the alarm clock a few minutes. Hitting the snooze button to postpone getting up for 10 minutes might just be a reassuring habit. The problem arises when 10 minutes becomes 30 or worse 60. If sleeping 10 more minutes makes you feel satisfied, anticipate the sound of the alarm so you can indulge in your habit without excessively interfering with your sleep, for example if you know you need to get up. out of bed at 8:00, set the alarm at 7:50.
Step 4. Let yourself be attracted by the morning fragrances
If you know your brain associates certain smells with waking up, use them to get it going. Try creating fragrances that motivate you to get up, distracting you from the urge to hit the snooze button.
- Morning coffee is a milestone for many. If you have a programmable coffee maker, set it to start making coffee 15 minutes before you need to get up.
- Mint and citrus fruits also have the power to arouse you. Using a citrus-scented hand soap could help you resist the urge to go back to bed.
Part 2 of 3: Investing in Technology
Step 1. Invest in a smart alarm clock
Smart alarms are a relatively new technology that allows you to monitor sleep cycles in order to wake you up when your body begins to enter its lighter stages. As a result, being physically prepared for approaching awakening, you will feel less groggy and tired as you hear the ringing noise.
- The prices of smart alarm clocks are in a wide range, from the most affordable to the very expensive ones. Mobile versions of smart alarms, which can connect to Apple or Android devices, cost around a hundred euros. The smart desk alarm clocks, on the other hand, have a higher cost (about 150 euros).
- Some devices can be attached to the wrist while others involve the use of a pair of headphones. Their purpose is to monitor your brain activity and sleep patterns and turn off when you are ready to wake up.
- Alternatively, there is an application called Sleep Cycle (downloadable at a cost of € 0.99) that analyzes sleep patterns using an algorithm. While less accurate than smart alarm clocks, it is also much less expensive.
- Thanks to some applications for mobile devices it is possible to make sure that the only way to be able to turn off the alarm is to solve a mathematical problem or to shake the device vigorously. Both activities prompt the body to wake up, reducing the likelihood of wanting to hit the snooze button and go back to sleep.
Step 2. Buy an alarm clock that moves around the room
Nowadays, technology has made available to us alarm clocks that, in addition to ringing, move in the environment thanks to wheels or a propeller. In order to turn off the alarm you will have to chase your alarm clock and, if you want, you can disable the snooze function in advance. Also in this case the range of prices is quite wide, from about 15 to 60 euros.
Step 3. Choose an alarm clock that simulates the birth of the sun
As mentioned previously, sunlight is able to promote a faster and more effective awakening. If your bed isn't placed next to a window, an alarm clock that can simulate sunrise can come in very handy.
- The alarm clocks that simulate the sunrise are equipped with a lamp that lights up gradually in the hours preceding the activation of the ringer.
- Alarm clocks that simulate sunrise are best suited to early risers by nature. If you are one of those who have a hard time getting up in the morning, the light emitted by the device may not be enough to change your sleep patterns.
Part 3 of 3: Learning to Know Sleep
Step 1. Familiarize yourself with the different stages of sleep
The reasons why the snooze button can negatively interfere with rest are related to the different stages of sleep. Often the sound of the alarm interrupts our brain during a crucial rest phase, and as a result we are prompted to press the snooze button. 5
- Within the sleep cycles, the REM phase corresponds to the deepest sleep phase. The body has a natural clock that regulates sleep and wakefulness and that, about an hour before the time we need to wake up, begins to guide us out of REM sleep to prepare us for awakening. Sleep becomes lighter, the body temperature rises and the hormones intended to animate the body are released.
- In the absence of the normal sleep / wake cycle, our natural clocks tend to interrupt the REM sleep phase so that upon awakening our bodies are not yet ready to face the day. As a result, we may feel tired or dizzy, as well as wanting to hit the snooze button to go back to sleep.
Step 2. Understand the effects of hitting the snooze button
Sometimes when it comes to sleep, little is better than a lot. Often, especially when our sleep / wake cycle is not regular, pressing the snooze button makes us feel even more tired.
- If you wake up during REM sleep and press the snooze button, you may be able to re-enter deep sleep. Waking up in deep sleep, before switching to a lighter one, traumatizes your body. Pressing the snooze button doubles the negative impact, causing a numb feeling that will accompany you throughout the day.
- The best thing to do is to set the alarm for the time you need to get up and give yourself enough hours of sleep to not interrupt REM sleep. For example, if your alarm goes to 8:00 in the morning, but you usually use the snooze function to stay in bed until 8:20, just snooze it to 8:20.
Step 3. Understand the importance of sleeping well
Although scientists continue to debate the reasons humans need sleep, the negative effects on the body and mind caused by poor quality sleep are well documented. Understanding the consequences of bad habits will help you motivate yourself to stop hitting the snooze button on your alarm.
- As you sleep, your brain prepares for the new day and high-quality sleep guarantees excellent performance in terms of both memory and problem solving. A lack of sleep can alter the activity of certain sections of the brain, as a result you may have difficulty concentrating and controlling your emotions, and you may also notice negative effects on your decision-making ability.
- Physically, a lack of sleep can take a heavy toll on the body. Wrong rhythms put you at increased risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and stroke. Bad sleep habits also increase the risk of obesity and cause hormonal imbalances responsible for hunger, fatigue and mood swings.
Advice
- If you want to motivate yourself not to press the snooze button, consider planning some morning time for yourself to indulge in something you love - even just 20 minutes will be enough to convince you to get out of bed.
- If you have a pet, don't allow them to sleep in your bed.
Warnings
- Be cautious about promoting sleep using over-the-counter medications. They expose you to the risk of becoming addicted and, if taken in large quantities, can have very serious side effects.
- If, despite changes in your lifestyle, you continue to have difficulty falling asleep or getting up, see a doctor. It is good to make sure that sleep problems are not attributable to other underlying diseases.
Related wikiHows
- How to wake up without relying on the alarm clock
- How to Stop Insomnia
