Summary: Despite expert warnings, hitting the snooze button is a common part of many people’s morning routines. A large global study analyzing data from over 21,000 individuals found that snoozing occurred in 56% of sleep sessions, with heavy users snoozing for up to 20 minutes each morning.
Snooze usage peaked during the workweek and was more common in countries like the U.S., Sweden, and Germany. Researchers warn that snoozing disrupts critical REM sleep phases, offering only fragmented, light sleep before waking. Interestingly, people with shorter total sleep were less likely to snooze, likely due to time pressures.
Key Facts:
- Widespread Habit: Over 50% of sleep sessions end with a snooze, averaging 11 minutes of delay.
- Disruptive to REM: Snoozing interrupts deep, restorative stages of sleep.
- Cultural Patterns: Highest snooze usage observed in the U.S., Sweden, and Germany.
Source: Brigham and Women’s Health
Sleep experts recommend against snoozing after a wake-up alarm, but a study led by researchers at Mass General Brigham shows the practice is common, with more than 50% of sleep sessions logged ending in a snooze alarm and users spending 11 minutes on average snoozing.
Even though using the snooze function on an alarm clock isn’t recommended by sleep experts, it’s a common practice, according to a new study led by researchers at Mass General Brigham.
Using data from the sleep analysis app Sleep Cycle, researchers analyzed sleep data from more than 21,000 people around the world.
The snooze button was pressed in close to 56% of the 3 million nights studied. Around 45% of study subjects hit the snooze button on more than 80% of mornings. These heavy users snoozed, on average, 20 minutes a day.
Results are published in Scientific Reports.
“Many of us hit the snooze alarm in the morning with the hope of getting a ‘little more sleep,’ but this widely practiced phenomenon has received little attention in sleep research.
“In a global sample we found that more than half of sleep sessions end in a snooze alarm, and users spent an average of 11 minutes in between snooze alarms each morning before waking,” said lead author Rebecca Robbins, PhD, in the Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system.
Reliance upon snooze varied by day of the week, with more snooze alarm during the typical work week (Monday through Friday) with the lowest snooze alarm utilization on Saturday and Sunday mornings.
Snooze alarm utilization was lower among those sleeping five or fewer hours. According to the researchers, this could be because short sleepers are cutting sleep short due to occupational responsibilities, which would require them to wake up and start their day, leaving little time for a snooze.
Heavy users of the snooze alarm (those relying on snooze alarm on more than 80% of mornings studied) spent on average 20 minutes in between snooze alarms. Heavy snooze alarm users also demonstrated more erratic sleep schedules than other categories of users.
People in the U.S., Sweden and Germany had the highest snooze button use, while those living in Japan and Australia had the lowest.
“Unfortunately, the snooze alarm disrupts some of the most important stages of sleep,” said Robbins.
“The hours just before waking are rich in rapid eye movement sleep. Hitting the snooze alarm will interrupt these critical stages of sleep and typically only offer you light sleep in between snooze alarms.
“The best approach for optimizing your sleep and next day performance is to set your alarm for the latest possible time, then commit to getting out of bed when your first alarm goes off.”
Authorship: In addition to Robbins, Mass General Brigham authors include Matthew D. Weaver, Stuart F. Quan, and Charles A. Czeisler. Additional authors include Daniel Sääf and Michael Gradisar.
Disclosures: Dr. Robbins reports personal fees from Hilton Hotels International, Sonesta Hotels, Savoir Beds Ltd., Oura Ring Ltd., and Institute for Healthier Living Abu Dhabi. Dr. Robbins serves on Medical Advisory Boards for Equinox Fitness Clubs, Somnum Pharmaceuticals, and Oura Ring Ltd.
Funding: Supported in part through in-kind contributions by Sleep Cycle and payment of the publication fee by Sleep Cycle.
About this sleep and neuroscience research news
Author: Cassandra Falone
Source: Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Contact: Cassandra Falone – Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Open access.
“Quantifying snooze behavior in a global population of smartphone users” by Rebecca Robbins et al. Scientific Reports
Abstract
Quantifying snooze behavior in a global population of smartphone users
Snooze alarm use is a common, but poorly understood human behavior.
We explore the prevalence and characteristics of snooze alarm use in more than 3 million nights collected in a global sample of users of a sleep monitoring smartphone application.
On the nights that participants logged a sleep session, more than half (55.6%) of the sessions ended with a snooze alarm.
Of the sleep sessions ending with snooze alarm, snooze alarm was pressed on average 2.4 times (95% CI: 2.4–2.5) and the average duration of snooze alarm use was 10.8 minutes (95% CI: 10.7–10.9).
We observed significantly more snooze alarm use in women as compared to men. Long sleep sessions (> 9 h) were more likely to end with snooze alarm use than recommended duration (7 to 9 h) or short (< 7 h) sleep sessions.
Sleepers who went to bed earlier used snooze alarm less, while those who went to bed later than usual used the snooze alarm more.
Future research is needed to understand the impact of snooze alarm use on daytime performance.
