Is It Bad to Snooze Your Alarm?
The New York Times • • health
Key Points:
- A study tracking over 21,000 adults worldwide found that more than half of the time, participants hit the snooze button an average of 2.4 times before getting up.
- People who are night owls, feel drowsy upon waking, or frequently wake during the night are more likely to use the snooze button.
- There is limited research on how snoozing affects health or quality of life, and its impact may depend on the reasons behind the behavior and whether it worsens poor sleep habits.
- Critics argue that snoozing can reduce REM sleep, a vital stage for brain health, memory, emotional processing, and creativity, especially if alarms interrupt this phase.
