If You Snooze You Lose

CompCare is a fan of sharing helpful info that promotes good lifestyle habits because we care more about you thriving in today’s busy and pressured times. So, let's look at why you should choose to not hit that snooze button on your cell phone alarm. Did you know that hitting the snooze button can disrupt your natural sleep cycle and lead to negative effects on your body and mind? Here’s how sleep patterns work: When you sleep, your body goes through different stages, and each one is crucial for proper rest and recovery. These cycles last for about 90 minutes and include both rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non-REM sleep. By hitting the snooze button, you may interrupt your sleep cycle during the REM stage, which is when most dreams happen. This can cause you to feel groggy and disoriented when you wake up, because you didn’t get to complete a full sleep cycle. Add to this, going back to sleep for a short period of time can prevent your body from fully relaxing and getting into a deep sleep stage. This can leave you feeling more fatigued and less alert when you do wake up, ‘like a zombie!’ Each time you hit snooze, your body needs to go through the process of trying to fall back asleep, which paradoxically makes it increasingly difficult to wake up and start your day. These disruptions to your sleep cycle can lead to a variety of unfavourable symptoms including fatigue, irritability, difficulty concentrating, and increased stress. Tips to help you combat your snoozzZe addiction: Put your alarm clock across the room: This will force you to physically get out of bed to turn off your alarm, then you’re up, so, stay up and seize the day! Use an alarm tone that motivates you: Choose an alarm tone that energizes you and makes you feel motivated to get up and at it. Have a reason to wake up: Give yourself a reason to wake up early. Could be a morning workout, a healthy breakfast, some quiet time to meditate or journal or even get a jump start on those emails you were just too tired to get to yesterday. Be consistent: Stick to your routine, (yes even on weekends!). Consistency is key to establishing a healthy morning routine. So, as a trusted medical scheme, CompCare encourages you to prioritise your sleep health by avoiding that snooze button. Instead, aim to get enough restful sleep every night so you can wake up feeling your best. Your body and mind will thank you for it!