Ahh, the snooze button. The blessed feature on our devices that allows us to sleep just a little bit longer, or for some spend 10 minutes dreading having to get up. It's a practice known to 64% of Britains, who seem to be trying to get a little bit of extra sleep every morning or so.
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Conflicting information, but harm is guaranteed
On paper, it sounds like a good idea, but in reality, it's not really good for your body and you should know that. When the alarm clock goes off, the body releases two hormones to help us through this trauma: cortisol and dopamine, which boost us and help us to finally wake up.
Except that by snoozing, we're asking our bodies to go back to sleep. This will, therefore, release two new hormones: adenosine and melatonin which relax us and help us fall asleep. The brain receives two contradictory pieces of information. It's like having coffee and a sleeping pill at the same time.
Result: we're not feeling good, and very tired. That's called sleep inertia. Which is why it's better to get up right away, and not go back to sleep.
Tips for waking up better
It might be unpleasant, but then what's the best way to get up in the morning? On average, a British person sleeps 6.55 hours a night. That's an hour and a half less than 50 years ago. But you don't necessarily have to sleep much more, you have to sleep much better. Here are 3 tips to sleep better.
Adopt a sleep routine
The body likes predictable, it likes routine. So you should go to bed and get up at the same time every day. Not much fun, but it's the best way to avoid dark circles under the eyes.
Wake up with light
Waking up with noise is violent and useless. The best way is still light. Why is that? Because it suppresses melatonin, you know, the hormone that makes us sleep. That's all it does.
Reward yourself when you wake up
The brain is like a child, it loves rewards. So find something fun to do as soon as you wake up (sports, meditation, reading, whatever you want), and it will make getting out of bed a lot easier.
And don't forget, 'You Snooze, You Lose.'
