A study suggests that using the snooze button on your alarm clock in the morning can actually be beneficial for people who have trouble waking up.
A new report in the Journal of Sleep Research found that a 30-minute snooze “improved or did not affect” cognitive performance compared to waking up abruptly. It’s suggested that snoozing allows for people to have a more gentle awakening by transitioning through light sleep stages and avoiding abrupt disruptions in deep sleep, which could be helpful for people with morning drowsiness.
The study found that 69 percent respondents use the snooze function, with an average snooze time of 22 minutes. In a laboratory study, participants who snoozed for 30 minutes performed better on cognitive tests. While snoozing can lead to improved cognitive performance, it may not completely get rid of that drowsy or disoriented feeling when waking up.
The report also claims that most snoozers are young and that the population studies imply that about 42 percent of adolescents have trouble waking up. Night owls are also more likely to hit the snooze button due to waking from deeper sleep stages.
