Do you set the alarm to wake up in the morning but can't wake up? Do you constantly snooze your watch's alarm? This act of yours puts you in danger of life.
NOT GETTING THE SLEEP YOU NEED?
It's perfectly normal to want to hit the snooze button if you can't rest no matter how long you sleep. And that's what most of us do: One in three adults snooze the alarm clock three times before getting up in the morning, according to one survey. In fact, more than half of young adults in their twenties and thirties admit to hitting the snooze button every morning.
WHY IS IT DANGEROUS TO PRESS THE SNOW BUTTON?
To understand why hitting the snooze button can be so harmful, you need to grasp your sleep cycle, or the sleep stages your brain goes through to help you rest and recharge.
When you put your head on the pillow, you feel sleepy and gradually fall into a light sleep. Meanwhile, your heart rate slows and your body temperature drops.
After light sleep comes deep sleep. This phase is very important because this sleep period is crucial for your body to regrow tissue, build bone and muscle, and strengthen your immune system.
After you go through deep sleep, you go into REM sleep. During REM, your brain is highly active and you experience intense dreams. But despite this intense activity, REM sleep is actually quite restorative, and getting enough to feel sharp and focused the next day is crucial. You usually experience the first REM phase about 90 minutes after you first put your head on the pillow, and you cycle several times throughout the night.
SO WHAT DOES ALL THIS HAVE TO DO WITH THE DELAY BUTTON?
You're usually near the end of your last REM cycle when your morning alarm goes off.
Wake up and get yourself out of bed and the REM cycle is over. Hit the snooze button and go back to sleep. You return yourself to the REM cycle.
The second time your alarm goes off, it wakes you in the middle of REM, not at the end of REM. As a result, you feel foggy and confused. Not exactly the best way to start the day.
WHAT ARE THE LONG TERM CONSEQUENCES OF PRESSING THE DELAY BUTTON?
If you went to bed at an appropriate time the night before, your body's internal clock is ready to wake up when the alarm goes off. However, when you hit snooze and go back to sleep, it puts your entire system into a confusing loop. Before long, your body can't be sure when it's time to wake up and when it's time to sleep.
If your body doesn't know when to fall asleep, you may be spending a lot of time turning around. As a result, you get less of the quality sleep you need. And it doesn't take long. Just one week of insufficient sleep can be transmitted by hundreds of genes in your body, causing increased stress, decreased immunity and increased inflammation.
IF YOU PRESS THE SNOW BUTTON, YOU WILL BE VERY ANGRY ALL DAY
After a while, these effects start to increase. When you're stressed, it's harder to focus and you're more prone to irritability. You're more likely to get sick when your immune system isn't working properly, which can make it even harder to get quality sleep. Worst of all? Experiencing chronically high levels of inflammation can increase your risk of serious health problems such as heart disease, cancer, stroke and cognitive decline.
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