When your alarm clock goes off in the morning, your desperate plea for just five more minutes of sleep as you hit the snooze button could be sabotaging your day before it begins. If you can’t bear to get out of bed but still need energy for the day, check out these tips for smarter snoozing.
Snoozing isn’t Resting
Waking up and going back to sleep, as many of us do when we hit snooze, doesn’t actually make us feel any more rested. In fact, waking up four times during your usual eight hours of sleep equates to getting just four hours of restful slumber. And each time you wake up, you face that awful morning grogginess, again and again, encouraging it to linger and impacting your mental sharpness. Instead of sacrificing your long-term energy for a few minutes of low-quality sleep, try these tricks.
Stay Awake
This might sound counterintuitive, but you can still rest without sleeping! Keep yourself comfy in bed, but resist the urge to close your eyes again. This way, you can ease yourself into the day without entering a counterproductive sleep cycle.
Let the Sunshine In
Your body is naturally wired to wake up when it feels daylight start creeping into the room, so leave the curtains or blinds open if you can. As the sun rises, your system will magically boot up along with it. You can keep an alarm on just in case you still need it, but use it as a last resort in this case.
Speaking of Alarms
There’s a good chance your alarm could use an update. Instead of an ear-piercing screech that jolts you awake, try a gentler approach. Update the sound to something more pleasant, like a favorite song, or invest in a dawn simulator, which uses gradually brighter light to mimic the sun and wake you up.
Get to the Bottom of It
If you’re waking up and immediately reaching for the snooze button, there’s a good chance that you’re not sleeping well in the first place. Try to go to sleep earlier and adjust the temperature of your room to something more comfortable. Once you’re sleeping better and waking up feeling energized, you’ll forget you ever needed a snooze button.
There’s nothing quite like jumping out of bed ready to tackle a new day when you’re working toward big goals. Take the time to figure out what you need for more refreshing rest and get ready to get going as soon as you open those eyes tomorrow.
