Go ahead and hit the snooze button

I used to spring right out of bed when my alarm went off in the morning. But sometime during the pandemic, when my morning commute was reduced to the walk from my bedroom to my kitchen, I became a snooze-button addict.

I assumed this was a bad habit—and, indeed, many sleep experts say it is. They warn that repeatedly hitting the snooze button may throw off your sleep cycle, or at least signify you’re not getting enough good-quality sleep at night.

But earlier this month, I read a study that vindicated my morning routine. It found that snoozers weren’t sacrificing sleep duration or quality by setting multiple alarms, and, relative to non-snoozers, actually performed better on cognitive tasks shortly after waking. And while there aren’t many other published studies on snoozing, the few that do exist mostly back up those findings. So snooze on, fellow sleepyheads.

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