You don’t lose if you snooze
IMAGE: TINA SUNDELIN’S RESEARCH AT STOCKHOLM UNIVERSITY SHOWS THAT SNOOZING MAY SUPPORT THE WAKING PROCESS FOR REGULAR SNOOZERS. PHOTO: HENRIK DUNÉR view more
CREDIT: PHOTO: HENRIK DUNÉR
It is often claimed that using the snooze button can have negative effects on sleep and cognitive processes, but there has been no direct evidence to this effect. New research from the Department of Psychology at Stockholm University shows that snoozing may actually support the waking process for regular snoozers.
It's common to want to stay in bed, potentially even go back to sleep, when the alarm goes off in the morning. The snooze button has been a function in alarm clocks and cell phones for decades and is often claimed to have negative effects, both on sleep and the brain's ability to wake up. However, there has been no scientific research to support these claims. Researchers from Stockholm University have now investigated how common snoozing is and what effects this behaviour has on sleep, sleepiness, mood and cognitive abilities.
– Our findings show that those who snooze on average sleep slightly shorter and feel more drowsy in the morning compared to those who never snooze. But there were no negative effects of snoozing on cortisol release, morning tiredness, mood, or sleep quality throughout the night, says Tina Sundelin, researcher at Stockholm University and lead author of the paper.
In the first study, 1732 individuals answered questions about their morning habits, including how often they use the snooze button. Many reported snoozing regularly. This behaviour is especially common among young adults and evening people. The most common reason for snoozing is feeling too tired to get out of bed when the alarm goes off.
In the second study, 31 regular snoozers spent two nights in a sleep lab in order to measure their sleep in more detail. One of the mornings they were allowed to snooze for 30 minutes and the other they had to get up right when the alarm went off. The results are calming for those who snooze. Even though participants' sleep was disturbed during the half hour of snoozing, most of them still got quite a lot of it – more than 20 minutes. This means that their total night's sleep was barely affected. Furthermore, in the snooze condition no one had to wake up from deep sleep, and the snoozers performed a bit better on cognitive tests right upon waking. Meanwhile, there were no clear effects of snoozing on mood, sleepiness, or the amount of cortisol in the saliva.
– Our study shows that half an hour of snoozing does not have negative effects on night sleep or sleep inertia, the feeling of not quite being alert in the morning. If anything, we saw some positive outcomes, such as a decreased likelihood of waking from deep sleep. When participants were allowed to snooze they were also a bit more quick-thinking right when they got up.
– It's of course important to remember that the study only included people who are regular snoozers and find it easy to go back to sleep after each alarm. Snoozing is most likely not for everyone, says Tina Sundelin.
JOURNAL
Journal of Sleep Research
METHOD OF RESEARCH
Experimental study
SUBJECT OF RESEARCH
People
ARTICLE TITLE
Is snoozing losing? Why intermittent morning alarms are used and how they affect sleep, cognition, cortisol, and mood
ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE
18-Oct-2023
Is it ok to press the snooze button?
Snoozing, or using intermittent alarms to get in a few more minutes of sleep in the morning, may have benefits for some people, according to research published in the Journal of Sleep Research.
In a study of 1,732 adults who described their waking habits, 69% of participants reported using the snooze function or setting multiple alarms at least “sometimes.” In those who snoozed, the average time spent snoozing per morning was 22 minutes, ranging from 1 to 180 minutes. Snoozers tended to be younger than non-snoozers and were more likely to be evening types. Morning drowsiness and shorter sleep were also more common in those who snoozed.
In a second study of 31 habitual snoozers, 30 minutes of snoozing improved or did not affect performance on cognitive tests directly upon rising compared with waking up abruptly. Snoozing resulted in about 6 minutes of lost sleep, but it prevented awakening from slow-wave sleep. There were no clear effects of snoozing on stress hormone levels, morning sleepiness, mood, or overnight sleep structure.
“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. In fact, it may even help those with morning drowsiness to be slightly more awake once they get up,” said corresponding author Tina Sundelin, PhD, of Stockholm University.
URL upon publication: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jsr.14054
Additional Information
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About the Journal
The Journal of Sleep Research, owned by the European Sleep Research Society, is an international journal dedicated to basic and clinical sleep research. reflecting the progress in this rapidly expanding field, promoting the exchange of ideas between scientists at a global level.
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JOURNAL
Journal of Sleep Research
ARTICLE TITLE
Is snoozing losing? Why intermittent morning alarms are used and how they affect sleep, cognition, cortisol, and mood
ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE
18-Oct-2023
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