Most of Us Hit Snooze. But What Is It Actually Doing to Us?

A new study found that 57 percent of adults stay in bed until the second or third call to wake them up.

Despite warnings from the experts that snoozing is bad for us, the snooze button is still ubiquitous, and this is testament to its popularity.

According to sleep scientists, alarms could interrupt our sleep cycles and make it harder to wake up. Half-asleep, that snooze button never looks more tempting... but silence that alarm for a few more minutes just lulls our body into the next sleep cycle, only for it to get interrupted again

Hard data on snoozing's effects is hard to come by, with most of what we know about it coming from studies on stress and sleep.

The medical establishment is generally against the use of snoozing, but when we looked at what hard data existed, there was no.

We now have the data to show how common it is, and there is still so much that we don't know.

The study found that females were more likely to sleep than males. Habitual snoozers tracked less steps than self-proclaimed non-snoozers and had sleep patterns that showed more signs of sleep disruption.

Preference for sleep were also taken into account. The night owls were found to use the snooze button more often. People under the age of 30 were more likely to sleep.

It shows that snoozing can feel good for one person, but it may not be so good for another. We all sleep differently.

The positives of snoozing were more likely to be seen by snoozers than non-snoozers.

One in three people in the US don't get enough sleep, and the top reasons for hitting snooze were that I cannot get out of bed on my first alarm, and that it is comfortable in my bed.

The statistics are onlyrepresentative of a small population that is likely to be in the best position with respect to sleep habits.

We don't know if teenagers, lower-income households, or any of the populations that are historically more sleep deprived are included in this study.

The team behind the study stopped short of saying snoozing was either good or bad for us, emphasizing that the need for wake-up calls isn't likely to be good for our health.

More sleep is the answer, rather than fewer taps on the snooze button, because sleep that's of the right length, and regular in terms of its schedule, and as tranquil and undisturbed as possible.

The researchers want to see more detailed studies into snoozing's effects with larger groups of people, not just to learn about the negatives of hitting the snooze button, but also about some of the positives.

Mattingly says that if you snooze and you're more alert when you get behind the wheel, that might be a benefit. It's another if it reduces dependence on caffeine.

It's not terrible, like stress. The fight or flight response is caused by some stress. There are times when it is appropriate. It is possible that hitting the snooze button is beneficial.

The research was published in a journal.