Do you set an early alarm in the morning and then hit snooze a bunch of times? Well, a new study says that habit might not be a bad thing.
Hitting snooze or using intermittent alarms in the morning to get some just a few more minutes of sleep was the subject of a new study published in the Journal of Sleep Research.
The study of more than 1,700 people showed that there were no clear effects of snoozing on stress hormone levels, morning sleepiness, mood or overnight sleep structure.
Of those who participated in the study, 69% said that they used the snooze function or set multiple alarms at least “sometimes.”
“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,” said corresponding author Tina Sundelin, Ph.D., of Stockholm University. “In fact, it may even help those with morning drowsiness to be slightly more awake once they get up.”
The average time for snoozing each morning was 22 minutes, with the max at 180 minutes.
Further, the study found that snoozers tended to be younger than non-snoozers and were more likely to be a “night owl” type.
In another study of 31 “habitual snoozers,” it was found that 30 minutes of hitting “snooze” either improved or did not impact tests of their cognitive function once they got up. That was compared to those who woke up the first time their alarm went off, according to the study.