Find yourself hitting the snooze button over and over again every morning? You may think you're getting a few more zzz's - but actually, you may be making yourself more tired. 7Healthcast reporter Janet Wu tells us why.
You're sound asleep and then...the dreaded alarm clock. You smack the snooze button and roll over.
Jamie Andrews
"I hit it over and over again until the very last possible minute."
Jaime Andrews admits it's tough getting up in the morning. And like most Americans, she depends on the snooze alarm to sneak in a few more zzz's.
Jamie Andrews
"I definitely fall asleep in between times I hit the snooze button."
But is that extra sleep really helping you? Early morning sleep is called REM sleep. It's when the body is at its most relaxed. Hitting the snooze alarm - interrupts the calm. The sleep becomes fragmented - which experts say can actually make you feel worse.
Dr. Janet Mullington, Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital
"If you're hitting that snooze button repeatedly, you're probably depriving yourself of sleep that you actually do need."
In fact, experts agree that's really the problem - you're not getting enough sleep. They say if you had enough sleep - you wouldn't need the snooze button.
Dr. Janet Mullington, Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital
"If you are somebody who needs 8 hours of sleep, then if you're actually getting that sleep, then you get up in the morning, you shouldn't feel this extreme tiredness and inability to get up. You should be able to wake up and feel pretty refreshed."
If you are tired - you're probably dealing with a sleep deficit. Studies show that sleep deprivation can take its toll on:
What to do? Start paying back the sleep debt.
Dr. Janet Mullington, Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital
"Getting to bed earlier in gradual steps, 15 minutes at a time, 15 minutes every week."
Turn off the TV - and cut out the caffeine. And when it comes to the snooze button don't fool yourself.
Dr. Janet Mullington, Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital
"Instead of hitting the snooze button for an hour, sleep that hour and get up when you really need to get up."
