Is It OK to Hit the Snooze Button?

Snoozing, or using intermittent alarms to get in a few more minutes of sleep in the morning, may be beneficial for some people.


In a study of over 1700 adults published in the Journal of Sleep Research, around 70 per cent admitting to hitting the snooze button at least sometimes. The average snooze time was around two minutes.

A second study of people who regularly snoozed for around 30 minutes found that it either improved, or did not affect, performance on cognitive tests. It also did not affect stress hormone levels, morning sleepiness, mood or overnight sleep.

The authors say the finding suggest there is no reason to stop snoozing in the morning if you enjoy it, and may even help those with morning drowsiness to be slightly more awake once they get up.