Hitting snooze in the morning could be beneficial, new studies say

BOSTON - The expression "you snooze, you lose," may not hold true when it comes to trying to grab those few extra minutes of sleep in the morning.

Swedish researchers conducted two studies. The first looked at the waking habits of more than 1,700 participants and found that snoozing, either hitting the snooze button or using intermittent alarms to get a little more shut eye in the morning, is common, especially among younger people and night owls. Most people said they do it because they're too tired to get up, but others said it feels good and allows them to wake up more gently.

The second study monitored 31 habitual snoozers in a sleep lab and found that for some of the participants, 30 minutes of snoozing actually improved their performance on cognitive tests immediately upon rising compared to waking up abruptly.

Though snoozing may have some benefits for the snoozer, it may not be so enjoyable for the non-snoozing partner.

In:
• Health
• Sleep

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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